1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host 3 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,800 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio 4 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: and how the tech Are You? Is time for the 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: tech news for Tuesday, January eleven, twenty twenty two. And 6 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: one of the big stories from last year was about 7 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 1: how companies like Google and Apple are being challenged around 8 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: the world for having effectively a closed off ecosystem when 9 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: it comes to in app payments. The too long, didn't 10 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: read version of that is that Google and Apple typically 11 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:49,599 Speaker 1: require app developers to use their in house payment systems 12 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: for all customer purchases within an app. So we're talking 13 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: about like virtual purpose purchases. This isn't the same rules 14 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: don't apply if you're talking about things like rye haling 15 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: or ordering a pizza like a real pizza. Anyway, this 16 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,200 Speaker 1: was something that video game studio Epic challenged with their 17 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: game Fortnite when they gave gamers an opportunity to kind 18 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: of circumvent these rules, and that led to all these 19 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: different lawsuits they got filed between Epic and and notably Apple, 20 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: but Google was also involved. Anyway, now you can actually 21 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: choose a different payment option within apps than just the 22 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: you know, in house payment option if you happen to 23 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: live in South Korea. That is, because South Korea passed 24 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: a law that bans app stores from forcing apps to 25 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: use the stores payment system. Apple claims to already be 26 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: in compliance with the law in South Korea, while Google 27 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: said it was working on it. And at the heart 28 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: of this is the concept of anti competitive practices. After all, 29 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: if you tell folks that your system is the only 30 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: game in town, well that's that's not competitive by definition. 31 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: And so we've seen courts and governments around the world 32 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: pushback against that practice. Now whether we'll see other countries 33 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 1: follow South Korea's lead remains to be seen, but we 34 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: have been seeing some movement in various court cases that 35 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: are in theory at least forcing these companies to change 36 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: their practices. In other Apple news, Bloomberg's Mark German recently 37 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: blogged that Apple seems uninterested in the whole metaverse concept, 38 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: more specifically in the company meta as in former Facebook 39 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: Meta their vision for what the metaverse will be. And 40 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: I think that's really interesting since Apple may actually unveil 41 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: a mixed reality headset sometime this year. That not so 42 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 1: secret project at Apple has been rumored for a few 43 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: years now, and yet the company really hasn't acknowledged it publicly, 44 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: at least not as far as I'm aware. This might 45 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: be the year that changes all of that. According to German, 46 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 1: it sounds like Apple's strategy is to take a more 47 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: augmented reality versus virtual reality approach. Augmented reality is when 48 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,079 Speaker 1: you have a headset that allows you or some other 49 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: method doesn't have to be a headset, but you have 50 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: a technology that allows you to actually see the world 51 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: around you, like the real world. You can see it, 52 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: and then the system overlays digital information on top of 53 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:28,920 Speaker 1: your real world view. So it doesn't have to be 54 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:31,360 Speaker 1: a headset. It could be something like a smart window 55 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: or just an app on your phone that can display 56 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: information over your view of the real world. Um but 57 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: the way I typically think of it as like a 58 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: pair of glasses that could give you, say, directions as 59 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: you make your way to a secret location to meet 60 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: up with your undercover contact or whatever. Hi Jeff. Anyway, 61 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: it sounds like Apple isn't on board with the metaverse 62 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: approach and views VR as something that should be done 63 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: as a sometimes activity, you know, like cookie monster now 64 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 1: knows that cookies are just as sometimes food instead of 65 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: like treating VR as a way where we should all 66 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 1: interface with each other and the world around us through 67 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: this metaverse thing. Now, I'm kind of on board with 68 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: that idea, because I suspect if the metaverse really does 69 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: become a thing, and I'm still very skeptical of that, 70 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: I'm skeptical that will become something more than just little 71 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: pockets of islands operated by single companies like Facebook. If 72 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: it ever does become a big thing, I suspect I'm 73 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:34,720 Speaker 1: going to be the equivalent of a hermit and not 74 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:39,280 Speaker 1: be a participant in that ecosystem. That's just my guess. 75 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: Over in Europe, Google is trying to sway EU Parliament 76 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 1: members to ease off a bit on language contained in 77 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:49,159 Speaker 1: a proposed law called the Digital Markets Act or d 78 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: m A. According to Javier Espinosa of The Financial Times, 79 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 1: Google has spent buckets of cash on advertisements and action 80 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: groups to convince lawmakers that placing regulations and restrictions on 81 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: Google would be a really bad thing, particularly for small 82 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: business owners. And one of the big factors in this 83 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:14,239 Speaker 1: law is the practice of promoting Google's own businesses within search. 84 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,479 Speaker 1: So you know how Google will serve up AD results 85 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: as the first couple of entries on the search results page. Well, 86 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: the issue here is that Google, according to the EU, 87 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: tends to promote its own businesses above other businesses and 88 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: thus gives itself preferential treatment in a marketplace that it controls. 89 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: So think of it like this. Imagine that you go 90 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: to a grocery store. I'm in the southeast. We'll call 91 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: it Kroger, but you know it could be a g 92 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:45,760 Speaker 1: B or all these or whatever. You go into the Kroger, 93 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 1: and all the Kroger brand items have prominent placement in 94 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: all the different aisles, Like that's front and center. That's 95 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: what you see, and all the other stuff from other 96 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,480 Speaker 1: companies is kind of hidden further back on shelves. That's 97 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: kind of what the EU says Google has been doing. 98 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: And it's something that another big tech company, namely Amazon, 99 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: has been accused of doing. And even Apple has been 100 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: lumped in here with the way Apple prioritizes its own 101 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,479 Speaker 1: products on devices like the iPhone. So the d m 102 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: A law would potentially make it illegal for Google and 103 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 1: other big tech companies that merit the consideration of being 104 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: a quote unquote gatekeeper, it would make that that practice 105 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:31,599 Speaker 1: illegal for them. Now. I don't know how effective Google's 106 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:35,359 Speaker 1: lobbying campaign has been, but based off the people that 107 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: Espinosa quotes in his piece and in the Financial Times, 108 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: it sounds to me as though lawmakers are not really 109 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:46,239 Speaker 1: swayed by Google's arguments. Over Here in the United States, 110 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,840 Speaker 1: Google is getting called out for an internal project called 111 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,839 Speaker 1: Project Vivian, which was active from two thousand eighteen to 112 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: two thousand twenty. So what was the project about? Well, 113 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: according to the National Labor Relations Board or in l 114 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:06,039 Speaker 1: r B, the project was all about convincing Google employees 115 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: that organizing and unionizing is you know, it's such a hassle, 116 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 1: they shouldn't do it, Okay, Like, come on, folks, come on, 117 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: let's all go to the cafe, get some pretzels. Okay. So, 118 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: according to the n l RB, Google's director of Employment Law, 119 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: a guy named Michael phil said, Project Vivian was designed 120 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: quote to engage employees more positively and convince them that 121 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 1: unions suck end quote Huh yeah, that sounds legit. And 122 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: n l r B judge has ruled that Google must 123 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 1: hand over one eighty internal documents related to Project Vivian, 124 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 1: which up to now, Google has shown no intention of sharing. 125 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 1: That might change with this judge's ruling remains to be seen. 126 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: So what does Google have to say about this project. Well, 127 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: mother Board reports that a Google spokesperson said, quote, the 128 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: underlying case here has nothing to do with unionization. It's 129 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 1: about employees breaching clear security protocols to access confidential information 130 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:17,120 Speaker 1: and systems inappropriately. End quote. I personally remained skeptical of that. 131 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: Google has fired employees for those on those grounds. At 132 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: least that's what the company has said. Sometimes the employees 133 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 1: say no, it's because we were speaking out against practices 134 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: that we viewed as being harmful or unfair or dangerous, 135 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: and we got punished as a result when we were 136 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:37,959 Speaker 1: trying to get support for our point of view. So 137 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 1: this is a continuation of issues that that originate several 138 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,559 Speaker 1: years back. So we'll have to keep an eye out 139 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,959 Speaker 1: to see how this continues. Now, I have a question 140 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: for you. Have you ever had to go through the 141 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 1: process of a job performance review. If so, you've probably 142 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: encountered some kind of ratings system that explains that you 143 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 1: are performing at or above or below expectations, But why 144 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:10,680 Speaker 1: have you just got kind of an overall rank compared 145 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:15,440 Speaker 1: to your fellow employees and no details? Like does that 146 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: even sound practical? I mean, if you are told that 147 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: you stink as an employee, but there's no elaboration, then 148 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 1: how would anyone expect for you to improve? How could 149 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: you take action to be a better employee if you 150 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 1: don't know where the problems are. That's kind of at 151 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: the heart of a situation that's brewing over at Amazon. 152 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: So a former employee named Pat mcgawe, who was a 153 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:44,480 Speaker 1: drone engineer at Amazon, quit the company last year. And 154 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:46,960 Speaker 1: why did he quit? Well, he was told he was 155 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:50,360 Speaker 1: one of the least effective members of his team. However, 156 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 1: he says he wasn't given any actual useful information on 157 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,839 Speaker 1: what led managers to designate him as being one of 158 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: the least effective members on this team. He is told 159 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,560 Speaker 1: he could either submit a thirty day plan to show 160 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: how he would improve his performance, which again, it's pretty 161 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:10,319 Speaker 1: hard if you're not really told where your performance is 162 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 1: lacking in the first place. Or he could leave the 163 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: company with a severance package. So he took that option. 164 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,520 Speaker 1: Now he is scheduled to provide testimony in a lawmaking 165 00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:25,800 Speaker 1: session in the state of Washington, that's where Amazon is headquartered. 166 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:28,839 Speaker 1: And this is all part of a bill that's kind 167 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,920 Speaker 1: of been in limbo for about a year. That bill, 168 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: if it were signed into law, would require employers to 169 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: provide their employees their personnel thoughts, their specific personnel files, 170 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: something that Mega says that Amazon has refused to do 171 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: for him. Uh. Now, of course this is not a 172 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: law yet, and macgau's testimony is just part of the 173 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: proceedings that will you know, in theory, convinced lawmakers whether 174 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 1: or not the bill is merited merited or if they 175 00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:00,720 Speaker 1: should just you know, abandon it. Now. If the bill 176 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 1: does pass, it could mean we all see some pretty 177 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 1: significant changes in HR practices in the state of Washington. 178 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 1: As I understand it, Amazon has a mandate to managers 179 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: where they have to designate a certain percentage of their 180 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:20,080 Speaker 1: direct reports as being least effective, right, you know, like 181 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:23,880 Speaker 1: the whole idea being Okay, Well, if you're looking at 182 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: the performance of all your employees, some of them are 183 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: going to be high performers, some of them are going 184 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:32,200 Speaker 1: to be typical, and some will be least effective, and 185 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: Amazon apparently has specific percentages of people who have to 186 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:41,440 Speaker 1: fall into that, which seems like counterintuitive to me. If 187 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:45,000 Speaker 1: I had a big workforce underneath me and everybody is 188 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 1: operating at essentially the same level, then that would mean 189 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:52,679 Speaker 1: that I would have to arbitrarily choose which employees fall 190 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 1: into that percentage to merit being the least effective. I 191 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: think that might be what's at the heart of this 192 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: issue here. Well, we have some more stories to cover, 193 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,680 Speaker 1: but before we get to that, let's take a quick break. 194 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 1: We're back in Japan. The company Panasonic announced it will 195 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: offer a four day work week schedule for its employees 196 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 1: as part of an effort to motivate its workforce and 197 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: to attract new talent. There's been a lot in the 198 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:30,559 Speaker 1: news lately of the talent shortage. You've got a lot 199 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 1: of folks who are making the decision to leave their 200 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:37,520 Speaker 1: jobs and demand better working conditions and better compensation and benefits. 201 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:40,679 Speaker 1: And many studies show that a reduced work week can 202 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:44,480 Speaker 1: actually boost productivity. And this is kind of in line 203 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 1: with Parkinson's law, which isn't really a law, just like 204 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: Moore's law isn't really a law. Instead, Parkinson's law is 205 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,560 Speaker 1: more of a humorous observation. It was made by Cyril 206 00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: Northcote Parkinson in the nineteen fifties, and the observation says 207 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: work will expand to fill the time allotted for work. So, 208 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: in other words, let's say you've got a project and 209 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:13,840 Speaker 1: you've figured out reasonably that this project should take about 210 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: three days to complete when assigned to a team of 211 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 1: five people. Right, that's what you have determined. And you 212 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,840 Speaker 1: get two different teams of five people, and the two 213 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:27,480 Speaker 1: teams are of roughly equal ability, and they have access 214 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:30,320 Speaker 1: to the same resources in order to complete the task. 215 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 1: And you give team number one the three days to 216 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:35,319 Speaker 1: do it, but you tell team number two they get 217 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 1: a full week to do it. Now, according to Parkinson's law, 218 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 1: team one will take the full three days, but they'll 219 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: get the job done. Team two will do the same job, 220 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:49,199 Speaker 1: have the same level of output, like the same level 221 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:52,560 Speaker 1: of of satisfaction with that job, but it will have 222 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: taken them the full five days to do it. Now. Again, 223 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 1: this was meant to be a humorous observation, but here's 224 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: the thing, it kind of plays out that way for 225 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:06,679 Speaker 1: real zs. The Washington Post reported that when Microsoft experimented 226 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:11,120 Speaker 1: with a four day work week. Also in Japan, productivity 227 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: actually increased by so assuming that it was a work 228 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 1: week of five days a week and they were reduced 229 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 1: it down to four, that means a reduction in time 230 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 1: at the office needed at improvement in productivity, and by 231 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: that logic, it means if we never came into work 232 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 1: at all, we would be incredibly productive. All right, that's 233 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 1: just an absurd joke, but there really are plenty of 234 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: cases in which a reduced work week prompted better performance. 235 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 1: And in an era where attracting talent is going to 236 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 1: become even more competitive, it might be a key strategy 237 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: for some companies to start shifting to a four day 238 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,240 Speaker 1: work week. Now does that mean we're going to see 239 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 1: that practice adopted in other countries besides Japan, I don't know. 240 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 1: In fact, I was shocked to learn that workers in 241 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: the United States actually put in more hours on an 242 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: average week then your typical worker does in Japan. I 243 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 1: always just assumed that, you know, the Japanese culture was 244 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 1: so work centric that people in Japan were working much 245 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: longer hours than people in America. But apparently, uh the 246 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 1: Organization for Economic Cooperation found otherwise listing the United States 247 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 1: as number eleven for most hours worked on average, and 248 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 1: Japan ranked all the way down at twenty six. So 249 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:32,560 Speaker 1: that shows me video game company Take two Interactive, which 250 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:36,880 Speaker 1: is famous for publishing games like Borderlands, BioShock, and Grand 251 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: Theft Auto, has a hankering for farming. And by that 252 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: I mean the company has announced it intends to acquire 253 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:47,800 Speaker 1: the mobile game company Zinga in a deal that edges 254 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:54,520 Speaker 1: real darn close to thirteen billion dollars billion with a B. Now, 255 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:58,080 Speaker 1: the transaction would actually not just be a cash transaction. 256 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:02,000 Speaker 1: It would also include many, many, many shares of Take 257 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: Two's common stock. Zinga, in case you're not aware, is 258 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:10,600 Speaker 1: famous for a bunch of uber popular social and mobile 259 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: games like Farmville, that one being the infamous one, and 260 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: Words with Friends, among others. So if this deal moves 261 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 1: forward and it's not challenged by shareholders or various regulatory bodies, 262 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:29,400 Speaker 1: it should all be wrapped up by early twenty three. 263 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: And honestly, I totally see how this makes sense. I mean, 264 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: look at a game like Grand Theft Auto five. That 265 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 1: video game came out in September of two thousand thirteen, 266 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:46,960 Speaker 1: and nearly a decade later, g t A Online, which 267 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: is a part of g t A five, continues to 268 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 1: be a big money maker for the company now. In 269 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: that sense, the game is a lot like a lot 270 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 1: of mobile games, which operate kind of like a game 271 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: as a service. Some mobile games allow players to play 272 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 1: the game in return for watching ads, so they generate 273 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:11,280 Speaker 1: revenue through ad views and they just continue to do 274 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:13,760 Speaker 1: that for as long as there's a player base. Some 275 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:17,439 Speaker 1: of them allow players to purchase the game outright, and 276 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 1: that way they can play it without ads, but you know, 277 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 1: they've actually ponied up cash to buy the game. Uh. 278 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: And a lot of mobile games use various incentives to 279 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,679 Speaker 1: convince players to fork over money a little bit at 280 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:32,119 Speaker 1: a time in order for the players to access certain 281 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:35,360 Speaker 1: in game options like the ability to play one more 282 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:39,800 Speaker 1: turn or get access to certain in game materials. In 283 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:42,960 Speaker 1: other words, we've been seeing a convergence in how game 284 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:47,680 Speaker 1: publishers do business, using games to be an ongoing revenue 285 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: generator rather than the model where you develop and release 286 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: a title and you you know, the title cells as 287 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:57,359 Speaker 1: well as it sells, and then you move on to 288 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: develop the next title, or even moving on to develop 289 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: DLC connected to that original title. That model, you know, 290 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:09,679 Speaker 1: the revenue comes in blasts when you release a new game, 291 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:13,200 Speaker 1: but you don't have that long tail of revenue the 292 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,600 Speaker 1: way you do with these ongoing experiences like in mobile games, 293 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:20,480 Speaker 1: and we've seen more and more video and computer games 294 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:23,880 Speaker 1: kind of adopt that model. The deal would give Take 295 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: to a much larger footprint in the mobile marketing space. 296 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 1: I should add Take two does have mobile games in 297 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:35,160 Speaker 1: its portfolio, it's just that Zinga is really a giant 298 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: name for mobile games, and presumably we would see more 299 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,080 Speaker 1: of Take two his properties get the mobile game treatment, 300 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 1: and see a lot of related games coming out connected 301 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:50,879 Speaker 1: to things like Grand Theft, Auto and BioShock. This deal, 302 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: assuming it moves forward, would be the largest video game 303 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:58,280 Speaker 1: acquisition deal in history. In fact, when Microsoft purchased Bethesda, 304 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:01,639 Speaker 1: the studio that's respond stable for the Elder Scrolls games, 305 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:04,479 Speaker 1: or as a lot of folks think of it, Skyrim 306 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,480 Speaker 1: UM and the Fallout games, that price tag was seven 307 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:11,800 Speaker 1: and a half billion dollars. And remember we're talking about 308 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:15,240 Speaker 1: Zinga being around thirteen billions. So yeah, this is a 309 00:19:15,359 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: huge acquisition. One gadget that I think I talked about 310 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 1: pretty early on last year was Razors Zefire mask, which 311 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:30,679 Speaker 1: they showed off at ce S twenty twenty one. Of 312 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: course I didn't attend c e S one, but I 313 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:37,000 Speaker 1: remember seeing the mask being shown off, and I'm pretty 314 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,159 Speaker 1: sure I talked about it on tech stuff. Anyway, the 315 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 1: mask looks a bit like the lower half of Darth 316 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 1: Vader's mask, or maybe like one of the more futuristic 317 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:52,000 Speaker 1: Mortal Kombat Ninja masks. Uh. It has led lighting and 318 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:56,640 Speaker 1: it's got these little filtration events in it. Well. Originally, 319 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,400 Speaker 1: Razor was promoting the zeph Ear mask and the zeff 320 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:05,040 Speaker 1: ere Pro, which they unveiled at this past CS as 321 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: masks that use filters that are of an IN grade 322 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:15,719 Speaker 1: in being the US standard for masks that filter out 323 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: of tiny particles. So you know, they were saying it 324 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:23,120 Speaker 1: doesn't actually have an IN ninety five filter, but it 325 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:28,920 Speaker 1: has something that's comparable to an INN mask. However, now 326 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:33,160 Speaker 1: Razor appears to have walked that back. PC mag reports 327 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: that Razor scrubbed references to in grade capabilities and its 328 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: materials relating to the zef her Pro and switched over 329 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:47,240 Speaker 1: to the more vague descriptor of quote unquote air purification filters. 330 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 1: The company released a tweet saying that quote the Razor 331 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:57,040 Speaker 1: Zephyr and those zef ere Pro are not medical devices, respirators, 332 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 1: surgical masks, or personal protective equipped ppe and are not 333 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:06,440 Speaker 1: meant to be used in medical or clinical settings end quote. Now, 334 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,920 Speaker 1: Apparently an issue here is that while the mask has 335 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: performed well in raisors internal tests and appears to show 336 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:19,000 Speaker 1: that it is equivalent to an IN nine mask, at 337 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:22,800 Speaker 1: least it appears to be, the technology has yet to 338 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 1: be put through strenuous external tests. That is, experts need 339 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:31,159 Speaker 1: the chance to get their hands on the masks and 340 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 1: determine if, in fact they actually meet the criteria to 341 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:40,840 Speaker 1: be considered in grade. So it doesn't necessarily mean that 342 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: the masks aren't up to snuff. It just means that 343 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:47,640 Speaker 1: we can't be sure of it yet, and not being 344 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 1: sure when it comes to equipment that you trust to 345 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 1: provide protection against something like COVID, that's not really good enough. Now, 346 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:57,800 Speaker 1: my hope is that the external reviews will find that 347 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:00,880 Speaker 1: the zeph Your masks are effective and that they are 348 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,199 Speaker 1: in grade, and we can use that label and be 349 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 1: confident in it. But we have to wait for the 350 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:10,919 Speaker 1: tests and the results of those tests to actually find out. 351 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:14,479 Speaker 1: I figure for the moment, it's good to look at 352 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,640 Speaker 1: them as like a really cool costume piece, um, and 353 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 1: you know you're not planning on actually putting it to 354 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:23,440 Speaker 1: the test by wearing it in, say, like a crowded 355 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 1: convention hall filled with people from all over the world, 356 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 1: like I don't know, c E s. And instead when 357 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: you go to something like that, First of all, I 358 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:34,080 Speaker 1: don't think you should go to something like that at all, 359 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:36,760 Speaker 1: But if you do have to go to it, use 360 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 1: an in ninety five or K and mask like a 361 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:45,919 Speaker 1: real one and just save the the razor stuff for later. Okay, 362 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 1: we've got a couple more stories before we conclude, and 363 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 1: we're gonna take another quick break, all right. In some 364 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 1: sad podcasting, Spotify has shut down its in house podcasting 365 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:08,880 Speaker 1: studio called Studio four. Now, first of all, you might 366 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:12,600 Speaker 1: wonder why was its in house studio called Studio four. 367 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: Why did it have that name? Well, before Spotify had 368 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 1: established its own podcasting studio, it had actually gone out 369 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:26,480 Speaker 1: and acquired other podcasting networks, namely Gimlet, The Wringer, and podcast. 370 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,720 Speaker 1: So those were the first three podcasting studios that Spotify owned, 371 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 1: and then they made their own and called it Studio four, 372 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:38,679 Speaker 1: So it was really the fourth studio owned by Spotify. 373 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:42,760 Speaker 1: According to the Verge, folks at Studio for, we're perhaps 374 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:46,240 Speaker 1: feeling a little bit demoralized. Well before the company decided 375 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:50,439 Speaker 1: to give the studio the acts, uh, there were allegations 376 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,800 Speaker 1: that Spotify had lifted projects that were supposed to be 377 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 1: Studio four podcasts but then assigned those to one of 378 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: the other studios. So think of it like you're at 379 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: a brainstorming meeting and you come up with a brilliant 380 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 1: idea and you share it, and your boss says, that's 381 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:10,959 Speaker 1: a great idea, I'm gonna give it to Susie, and 382 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 1: you're you're they're saying, but I'm I'm not Susie, and 383 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: I'm the one who came up with the idea, and 384 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:19,400 Speaker 1: you're just shut out. That's kind of what the Studio 385 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: for folks were saying was sort of happening to them. Also, 386 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:26,120 Speaker 1: it sounds like Studio four employees were frustrated that their 387 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:29,679 Speaker 1: work received little to no press or promotion, while some 388 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,159 Speaker 1: of the projects coming out of the other studios got 389 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:36,400 Speaker 1: a lot of attention. The affected employees are either going 390 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:40,720 Speaker 1: to be reassigned to other departments within Spotify or they're 391 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:44,280 Speaker 1: gonna get laid off. I'm hoping that everyone lands on 392 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:48,159 Speaker 1: their feet. Also, I remember reading that they were a 393 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:51,439 Speaker 1: little you know, upset and even just the name of 394 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:56,360 Speaker 1: the studio because it gives no sense of identity or direction, 395 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,760 Speaker 1: and they said it made them feel like they were leftovers, 396 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 1: which is not a good feeling to have. I've been 397 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:07,200 Speaker 1: there myself, and that is not fun. So I'm sure 398 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,199 Speaker 1: that they will all find good spots to be in, 399 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: whether it's at Spotify or somewhere else. My hope is 400 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,280 Speaker 1: that their talent will be well used in in an 401 00:25:19,359 --> 00:25:23,439 Speaker 1: area that appreciates them. Uh. But yeah, that stinks. I 402 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: hate to see it, even though I mean full disclosure. 403 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,600 Speaker 1: We can look at Spotify as being a competitor to 404 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio, particularly in the podcast space. But I 405 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: don't want to see anyone like just lose their job 406 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:40,640 Speaker 1: or have their whole studio shut down. That's no, that's 407 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: no bueno. Finally, in China, and Experimental Nuclear Fusion Facility 408 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:50,439 Speaker 1: has set a new record sustaining a fusion reaction for 409 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:54,720 Speaker 1: more than seventeen minutes Now, fusion is the process that 410 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: stars go through as they produce energy, as the you know, 411 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:04,800 Speaker 1: classic song why does the Sunshine? Perhaps best known by 412 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:07,439 Speaker 1: the they Might Be Giants cover of that song. It 413 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:11,240 Speaker 1: originally appeared on a science album in the nineteen fifties, 414 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:13,800 Speaker 1: But they Might Be Giants really made it famous. That 415 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:17,879 Speaker 1: song says, quote, the Sun is a mass of incandescent gas, 416 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:22,120 Speaker 1: a gigantic nuclear furnace where hydrogen is built into helium 417 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:26,399 Speaker 1: at a temperature of millions of degrees end quote. Now 418 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 1: there's some scientific errors in that song, which actually They 419 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,199 Speaker 1: Might Be Giants addressed in a a new version of 420 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:38,359 Speaker 1: the song called the Sun is a miasthma of incandescent plasma, 421 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:43,080 Speaker 1: So they got it covered. But anyway, what we're talking 422 00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:46,720 Speaker 1: about here is the fusion process of taking hydrogen atoms 423 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,280 Speaker 1: in fusing them to make a helium adom, which is 424 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:54,919 Speaker 1: a reaction that also releases a tremendous amount of energy. 425 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:59,480 Speaker 1: Now in the Sun, this process continues because you've got 426 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: intent heat and the incredible gravitational forces at play, and 427 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 1: that sustains the reaction. Here on Earth, it's we can't 428 00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:12,480 Speaker 1: really replicate that situation, right, We can't create a gravitational 429 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:16,199 Speaker 1: force akin to the core of the sun. So we 430 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:21,320 Speaker 1: have to use really powerful magnetic fields to control, contain, 431 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:28,280 Speaker 1: and create superheated plasma. There are lasers involved. It is awesome. Anyway, 432 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: if we could get nuclear fusion to work in such 433 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:34,320 Speaker 1: a way that we are generating more energy than it 434 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 1: required to initiate and maintain the reaction, we would be 435 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 1: sitting pretty And that's because nuclear fusion doesn't have the 436 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:47,160 Speaker 1: same drawbacks as nuclear fission. That's how nuclear power plants 437 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:51,800 Speaker 1: that are producing energy that generates electricity, that's how they work. 438 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:55,439 Speaker 1: They work through fission, not fusion. They are splitting atoms, 439 00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:59,159 Speaker 1: not fusing them. And with fusion, you're not dealing with 440 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 1: dangerous rate acted materials like uranium. Uh, they're not dealing 441 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:09,639 Speaker 1: with dangerous radioactive wastes that have an incredibly long half life. Uh. 442 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,000 Speaker 1: You don't have to figure out where you're gonna store 443 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:16,400 Speaker 1: all that stuff, which gets around that political issue of 444 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:20,400 Speaker 1: where do we store nuclear waste. Nobody wants it anywhere 445 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:24,359 Speaker 1: close to them, so it becomes a real challenge and 446 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:28,000 Speaker 1: you could potentially harvest your quote unquote fuel from ocean 447 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:32,360 Speaker 1: water while generating plenty of energy for everyone, but we're 448 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:36,760 Speaker 1: not there yet. So far, the systems we built required 449 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 1: more energy to produce and maintain a reaction than we 450 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: get out of the reaction. But each of these experiments 451 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: is a step toward really nailing it. The facility in 452 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:52,000 Speaker 1: China created a superheated plasma that reached around one six 453 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 1: million degrees fahrenheit. For reference, the core of the Sun 454 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,440 Speaker 1: only gets up to about twenty seven million degrees fahrenheit, 455 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: so it's positively chilly compared to the artificial sun that 456 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:10,560 Speaker 1: the Chinese facility created. Scientists plan to use the knowledge 457 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:14,000 Speaker 1: they gain from these experiments to make the next generation 458 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 1: of experimental facilities work even better. Right now, engineers and 459 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:21,680 Speaker 1: scientists around the world are working together on a facility 460 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor or either I t 461 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:32,480 Speaker 1: e ER. That project actually was first proposed way back 462 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:39,360 Speaker 1: in Construction didn't start until two thousand seven. Um it's 463 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:42,880 Speaker 1: still going on today. It's not fully built out, because 464 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 1: I mean, these are like the most complicated technologies that 465 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:49,880 Speaker 1: we've ever worked on. I mean, it's it's like the 466 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: Large Hadron collider was that before, and now either kind 467 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 1: of takes that title. As as we speak. The planned 468 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: first achievement of lasma has been projected to five so 469 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:05,440 Speaker 1: we're still a couple of years out from even producing 470 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:09,240 Speaker 1: plasma at Eider, and then the planned start of full 471 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,840 Speaker 1: operation would be a decade later. And this is still 472 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 1: in the pathway of creating nuclear fusion as a way 473 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:21,920 Speaker 1: of practically generating electricity if we're really looking down a line, 474 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:26,520 Speaker 1: so even in we're not talking about a nuclear fusion 475 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 1: plant that's producing electricity on a practical scale. Uh. In fact, 476 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 1: there are already places that are looking at successors to Eider, 477 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:39,280 Speaker 1: and we ain't even got started doing science at Eider yet. Anyway, 478 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:42,200 Speaker 1: here's hoping all this work leads to a transformational solution 479 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:46,560 Speaker 1: for our energy requirements. It would be a huge, huge 480 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:51,680 Speaker 1: scientific achievement if we can nail nuclear fusion and make 481 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:56,160 Speaker 1: it practical here on Earth. Okay, that wraps up the 482 00:30:56,200 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: news stories for Tuesday, January eleven, twenty you. I hope 483 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 1: all of you are well. If you have any suggestions 484 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 1: for topics I should tackle on tech Stuff in the future, 485 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:07,960 Speaker 1: feel free to reach out to me on Twitter. The 486 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:10,720 Speaker 1: handle for the show is text stuff h s W 487 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:19,600 Speaker 1: and I'll talk to you again. Really sick Y tech 488 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:23,120 Speaker 1: Stuff is an I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts 489 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:25,880 Speaker 1: from My Heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 490 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.