1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff You Should Know? 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: From house stock Works dot Com. Hey, and welcome to 4 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, This Charles W. Chuck Bryant, 5 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: and this is a rare, unusual mathematical uh episode of 6 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: the Stuff you Should Know? Yes, And I'm just gonna 7 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: step out of the room and I'll be back in 8 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: what going to do this? This is not gonna be 9 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,519 Speaker 1: another yo yo episode. I I just hate math. This 10 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: was this was This is not math heavy at all. 11 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,599 Speaker 1: It's about the history of zero. It's about the weirdness 12 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: of zero, my hero zero exactly until you people counted 13 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: on their fingers and toes. I posted that to down Facebook. 14 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: I don't know what that is. The Schoolhouse rock. I 15 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: don't know. He Rosiero. I don't remember that one until 16 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: you came along. Keep going it on her fingers and those. 17 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: It's basically you would appreciate it because it sings what 18 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: you wrote. Oh, that's great in a much more basic way. 19 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: But basically trying to teach kids how amazing zero is 20 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: and don't discount it as just it's a number. It's 21 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: not the absence of something. Well, there's a lot, there's 22 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: a bunch to it. It's many many things. It's a 23 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: multi faceted uh number, the multifaceted entity. Well, nol is 24 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: German for zero, did you know that? But kiss is 25 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:39,039 Speaker 1: I believe Spanish for zero, zilch zilch is cajun. I 26 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 1: did actually get a little etymology research. Originally Sanskrit was sonya, 27 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: which meant empty. Then later arabrick was sepia or nothing. 28 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: Then Italian was the foh, and then finally French gave 29 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: us zero, right, and it wasn't you know we represent 30 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: zero as something that looks confusingly like an oh yeah right. 31 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 1: That was the Europeans who did that. Prior to that, 32 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: the Arabs and I believe the Indians too, um represented 33 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: zero with a heavy dot. You know where that might 34 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: have come from Robert Kaplan's book The Nothing That is 35 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: a Natural History of Zero. He speculates that the shape 36 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: comes from the round depression left in the sand a 37 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: sand counting board. Once you remove a stone from it, 38 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: sence would be a round thing. That's what he he thinks, 39 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 1: he speculates, But that wouldn't nevern't have been the Europeans 40 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: because the Europeans that came up with that. Well no, 41 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,639 Speaker 1: but you said, uh, like a heavy dot. Yeah, a 42 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 1: heavy dot could be the depression where a stone was insane. 43 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: That's a good one. Who is that Robert Kaplan? Thanks? 44 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:57,080 Speaker 1: Mr Kaplan? Um? Well, I guess I feel like we've 45 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 1: kind of done a pretty good set up here, Chuck. 46 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: I think so. Do We've talked about how zero is multifaceted, um, 47 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: and you we talked about the Arabs and the Indians, right, yeah, um, 48 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: and we have to go back even further. Two. First, 49 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: find when Zero made itself known to get the way 50 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: back machine. Let's I think, let's blow the dust off 51 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:26,119 Speaker 1: of this thing that was right at you. I think 52 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 1: this thing still works. Let's find out you're ready. Yeah, hey, 53 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: look at their wow lit up like a flex capacitor. Um. 54 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: We're back in ancient Sumer and these baked clay tablets 55 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: haven't even been baked yet. It's still wet. Look, wow, 56 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: Jo was here? Cool? Um, so Chuck, if you'll look 57 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: at this clay tablet, do you see these two uh 58 00:03:54,880 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 1: diagonal lines, these little wedges, those, my friend, represent nothing 59 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: really and the reason they're there is because round about 60 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: this time somebody figured out they ran into a problem 61 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: and when they were making some sort of tax record 62 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: or grain inventory that um, you know, showing that basically 63 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: writing out three thousand lines there's a three thousand heads 64 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: of cattle doesn't make any sense. But let's say you 65 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: have UM three hundred. You have three thousand heads of cattle, 66 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: and all you have are the ways to represent three 67 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: hundred heads of cattle. There's a big difference, right, there's 68 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: an extra digit in there, and that those two diagonal 69 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: lines were used to represent one of those digits when 70 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: there was not any digits there. But there's something to 71 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: the left of it and something to the right of it. 72 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 1: That's right. And Kaplan also said that before that even 73 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: they just would leave a blank space, sometimes before they 74 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: even came up with the little wedges. So what what 75 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:02,280 Speaker 1: this is all based on is basically our numerical system, 76 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: where if you look at a string of numbers right, 77 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: starting from the right, you have the ones column, the 78 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:14,599 Speaker 1: tens column, the hundreds, the thousands, the ten thousands, the 79 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: hundred thousands, and so on. You want me to keep 80 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: going at infinitum um and in each of these columns, 81 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,280 Speaker 1: there may or may not be numbers present. So when 82 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: there are numbers present, we have our friends zero to 83 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,039 Speaker 1: serve as what's considered a placeholder. Yeah. Makes I mean 84 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: it's very easy to just say, well, the now, but 85 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,840 Speaker 1: way back then before there was a zero that you know, 86 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: we take it very much for granted. This is huge. 87 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 1: That's changed everything, changed everything, um, all of a sudden 88 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: now because I mean we said there's a big difference 89 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 1: between three thousand head of cattle and three hundred head 90 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:54,280 Speaker 1: of cattle. And by putting a zero there right saying this, 91 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: this column is represented, there's just not any in here. 92 00:05:57,680 --> 00:05:59,839 Speaker 1: You're not gonna find the two cattle that should be 93 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 1: in this, right, that changed everything. They changed everything. It 94 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,479 Speaker 1: made there was frustrating before that, Yeah, like if only 95 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: there was something to put there. Yeah. And I guess 96 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: when they like, just trust me, I have two thousand cattle. 97 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: And I guess when they left the blank space that 98 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: got confusing because they could have thought it was an error. 99 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: So they figured we have to put something there so 100 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: they know it's not just an oversight, right exactly. And 101 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: that's the diaging the lines well in this Uh, I 102 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: think before it even became that standardized. It was they 103 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: use different things because they found a tablet from seven 104 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:39,600 Speaker 1: and a dude use three little hooks to represent zero. Well, 105 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: that would have been after that, because the Sumerians were 106 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: doing this like years ago. Well it's probably hard to 107 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: get the word around, right, you know, three hooks. What 108 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: is this crud? Exactly? Um, So the Sumerians of the 109 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: first documented to to come up or stumble upon zero 110 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:00,359 Speaker 1: as a placeholder, and then it was codified with the 111 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: invention of the advocus, which uses you know, our numerical 112 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: column system like we used today, um, which was invented 113 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: by the Babylonians about three right, smart folks back then. 114 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 1: So we have zero as a placeholder. We have this 115 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: understanding now that there's there's something out there like we 116 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: can represent nothingness. But it wasn't until um, the fifth 117 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: century a d in India where zero first comes about 118 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 1: as a concept as a number, which is equally groundbreaking. Yeah. Well, 119 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: this nothingness, we should point out, was not something that 120 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: people were comfortable with back then. True, oddly now it 121 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: seems odd, but to have something represent nothing made people 122 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 1: very uncomfortable. It was associated with chaos in the Great 123 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: void and even the sign of the devil. Yes, it was. Well, 124 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: I mean the if you look at the Christian theology, um, 125 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 1: the void, which is represented by zero or nothingness, was 126 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: the state of the universe before the creation of man. 127 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:07,960 Speaker 1: Humans Uh seeks feel the same way too, although I 128 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: don't know how they felt about zero, but that was 129 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 1: there there. That's their conception as well. There was nothing, 130 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: there's void. Um. And then also void fits well with chaos, 131 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: which is the Christian conception of hell, like no one's 132 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: in charge. So yeah, it was avoided. I don't know. 133 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 1: I went back and look, Chuck after I wrote this article. Um, 134 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: when we were studying today, I went back and looked, 135 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 1: and I didn't find a lot of support for that. 136 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:37,199 Speaker 1: I did see that, like, um, the during the Dark Ages, 137 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: monks kind of were probably they feared zero. Well Kaplan 138 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,600 Speaker 1: mentioned it in his books. But I mean, it was 139 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 1: out there, but there's no well these people did this. 140 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: They killed this guy for saying the word zero. There 141 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:52,360 Speaker 1: was nothing like that out there. I think. More more 142 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: to the point, it was the Romans who just didn't 143 00:08:56,160 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 1: use zero. And the West was built by Rome and um, 144 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:05,319 Speaker 1: that's I think where the shunning of zero came from 145 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: not necessarily from fear, but just because the Roman numeral 146 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: system doesn't have zero. Yeah. I found where they flirted 147 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: with it at first, with the nullah in U l 148 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 1: l A, which they would represent with a little N. 149 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: But it clearly didn't take no, and they said it 150 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: We're not gonna use it at zero. Why would we 151 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: ever need zero? We don't need it as zero? Right 152 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 1: Did they talk like that back then too? Yeah, like 153 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: Vinny from Brooklyn, Sure, I think so. Uh So, where 154 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,800 Speaker 1: are we in India? Yeah, we're in the fifth century 155 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:45,599 Speaker 1: a d in India and a guy named um Arita. 156 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:51,560 Speaker 1: Arita is possibly the person who invented zero really possible 157 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,480 Speaker 1: or discovered as you like to say, thank you, Yes, 158 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: thank you for correcting me with my own words. That's 159 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: weird when they are your articles. So um, it is 160 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:07,320 Speaker 1: pretty pretty much universally accepted that zero was created or 161 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:12,880 Speaker 1: discovered in India, and then it spread pretty quickly over 162 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: to uh Islamic nations, Arab nations, um and the It 163 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:26,080 Speaker 1: was the Arabs who taught a guy named Fibonacci Leonardo Pizza, 164 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:30,200 Speaker 1: who was a great mathematician of the West. In the 165 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: I think the twelfth century or the thirteenth century. You know, 166 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: people are gonna say, do the Fibonacci number. Well, no, no, no, 167 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: people are gonna ask for that podcast. In fact, they've 168 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 1: already been asking for that podcast. Do you want to 169 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 1: do that one? Do you want to maybe? Probably not. Well, 170 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: Fibonacci was um the son of a customs officer in Algeria, Chuck, 171 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: and he had Arabic tutors and they said, hey, kid, 172 00:10:57,160 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 1: we're gonna teach you how to really do math. Because 173 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: by this time, by the I think the twelve hundreds 174 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:06,839 Speaker 1: UM or the eleven hundreds of the talt century, uh, 175 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: the Arabs were very well versed in mathematics and the 176 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:15,360 Speaker 1: West was still just complete idiots. Fortunately, Fibonacci was over 177 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:18,440 Speaker 1: there getting tutored, and he figured out, wow, this is 178 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 1: really really important and introduced our Arabic numeral system which 179 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:25,959 Speaker 1: we used today, uh, to the West through a book. 180 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: So you said he wrote a book. Did he write 181 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:31,719 Speaker 1: the book? No, he wasn't the only one. Okay, no, 182 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,960 Speaker 1: that's not true for the West. Yes, he wrote the book, 183 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 1: and then other people wrote treatises on his book. He 184 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:43,559 Speaker 1: pretty much he was the the fulcrum, the hinge between 185 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: West and Middle East. Zero is a fulcrum, Yes, it 186 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,240 Speaker 1: is um. So he was the one who introduced it 187 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: to the West. But again, I mean we say that 188 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 1: because we're Western writers, chuck. But it was very well 189 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: established for hundreds of years by the time Fibonacci heard 190 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: about zero yeah. And you also point out interestingly that 191 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:07,959 Speaker 1: simultaneously and completely independently of India uh, in Central America, 192 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: the Maya were also uh beginning or already using zero 193 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: yeah to uh, mainly for their calendar, right, yeah, it 194 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 1: was there. It was the base of counting um, which 195 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:21,719 Speaker 1: makes sense. It totally makes sense, and it makes for 196 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 1: a more accurate calendar. Right. So like for mine calendars, 197 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: like the day of the month would be zero day, 198 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 1: then one day, than two day, than three day and 199 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,160 Speaker 1: so on. How would you say that though, because you 200 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,199 Speaker 1: say first, second third, how would you say they had um? 201 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:39,960 Speaker 1: They had different names for today, like Zula would be 202 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 1: zul or you know, mon or something like that. It 203 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:47,120 Speaker 1: was like the rather than first, second third. They didn't 204 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:50,440 Speaker 1: have numerals like that, right, like first, second third that's Arabic, right, 205 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:53,560 Speaker 1: So to the Maya, it was like zul day, didn't 206 00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:57,080 Speaker 1: that Ghostbusters. I think so, but that was what Sumerian 207 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:01,559 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, zul was Sumerians all come together. Um. So 208 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: that does make for a lot more accurate counting UM. 209 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:07,400 Speaker 1: And that's one of the big flaws in our calendar, 210 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:10,439 Speaker 1: the Gregorian calendar, is that there is no zero year. 211 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,719 Speaker 1: Well and we all got that pointed out to us 212 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: quite uh through the to the media, especially when the 213 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,719 Speaker 1: millennium turned because there's no year zero. Our decades in 214 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: our centuries and our millennia um actually occur at the 215 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,560 Speaker 1: end of that year and at the beginning, like when 216 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:30,800 Speaker 1: the clock struck midnight at two thousand and we all went, yeah, 217 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 1: new millennium, Not so, have we still had a year left? 218 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:38,160 Speaker 1: Have we started counting from zero? Then? Yeah? In January first, 219 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:40,000 Speaker 1: two thousand, that would have been the start of the 220 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 1: new millennium. But the the we started counting from one, 221 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:48,120 Speaker 1: so one to two thousand nine years rather than two 222 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: thousand years. And there was one guy in every bar 223 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: trying to point out to as many people as he 224 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 1: could do you realize it's not even true, and he's like, 225 00:13:56,160 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 1: why isn't anyone buying me drinks? Why did are they 226 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 1: going to beat me up? Um. And I put a 227 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 1: little a little notation in there because I have trouble 228 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 1: wrapping my head around that sometimes. But the point is 229 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:17,640 Speaker 1: there's ten single digit numbers in the Arabic numerical system 230 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:21,280 Speaker 1: that we use, and it's zero through nine. Anything beyond 231 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: that isn't in the tens column er above, and thanks 232 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: to zero, we have a ten column exactly. Take it, 233 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 1: chuck uh. Well, Western astronomers they came up with a 234 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 1: system late seventeenth and early eighteenth century that designated calendar 235 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: year one b C is zero and then basically anything 236 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: above or below that would either be plus or minus. 237 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: So a B C or a D. Right, so uh 238 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:52,960 Speaker 1: two a D would be minus one or no two 239 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 1: BC would be minus one BC. Yes, since we're not 240 00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: living in a D, they just kind of screwed with 241 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: the BC a little bit. So right now we're in 242 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: plus two thousand twelve, yes, which also makes I mean 243 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:09,080 Speaker 1: it's not just calendars. I mean zero lies between negative 244 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 1: one and one and serves as a fulcrum point for 245 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 1: basically all numbering, yeah, positive and negative. And that was 246 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: Jacques Cassini who came up with that um astronomical calendar. 247 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: What this Italians are all up on this stuff, weren't they. Yeah, 248 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:24,960 Speaker 1: it's talk going to be French, but yeah it is 249 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:30,480 Speaker 1: an Italian who knows, maybe northern Italian exactly. Um, but yeah, 250 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,600 Speaker 1: so they he basically said, well, wait, why don't we 251 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: just choose one year to be zero and then we'll 252 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,840 Speaker 1: just basically make it. We'll make the calendar based on 253 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 1: zero's rightful place of numbering, which is precisely between one 254 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 1: and negative one. There's a zero there. It doesn't just 255 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: go from negative one to one. Zero is, like you said, 256 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 1: the full crumb of all numbers. It spreads out infinitely 257 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 1: on either side. So it's not positive and it's not negative. 258 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,640 Speaker 1: And um, so it's the only number that is non 259 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 1: positive and non negative if but it's neither a positive 260 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:04,280 Speaker 1: number nor a negative number. Wrap your head around that one. Yeah, 261 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:07,960 Speaker 1: you college students sitting around here at midnight, just gaze 262 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: up at the stars and try and figure that out. 263 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: Start counting, Start counting. It's also an integer, a whole number, right, Yes, 264 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:18,360 Speaker 1: And uh, it's very handy when it comes up to 265 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 1: ratios and fractions, because a fraction can be written in 266 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:25,560 Speaker 1: a couple of ways, either with the one on top 267 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: of the other or with a little decimal point. Yes, 268 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,280 Speaker 1: and without those zeros you wouldn't be able to do that. No, 269 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:36,200 Speaker 1: So the decimal system, um, basically you can look at 270 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:41,480 Speaker 1: it is anything to the right of the decimal So 271 00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: the tens, the hundreds, the thousands, right, the ten hundreds 272 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:50,840 Speaker 1: about thank you. Yeah, you're getting as bad as um 273 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:54,520 Speaker 1: they those are all encapsulated in that zero that's up 274 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 1: to positive one, right, yeah, because it's less than a 275 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,880 Speaker 1: whole one. But it's not so much that it's negative one, right, 276 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 1: it's encapsulated by that zero. So all of these ratios, 277 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:10,199 Speaker 1: all of the decimal system gives us these incredibly precise numbers, 278 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 1: whereas we can count in whole numbers to the right 279 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,719 Speaker 1: of zero and positive whole numbers. That just goes on 280 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,120 Speaker 1: and on and on and measures the vastness of the universe. 281 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: To go the other way, to go into infinite decimal 282 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 1: system that's encapsulated within zero. Let you measure the infantismal right, yeah, 283 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:30,360 Speaker 1: so it's not like, oh it's between two and three, right, 284 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:35,880 Speaker 1: I mean, try making like high quality machine parts using 285 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,439 Speaker 1: whole numbers. You can't know. It can't be done. So 286 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: there's all sorts of things that would have never taken 287 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 1: place had zero not given rise to the decimal system, 288 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 1: or everything would be really big, you know, everything would 289 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:48,159 Speaker 1: be like twice as large, Like the ten thousand year 290 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,800 Speaker 1: clock wouldn't even work. Remember they were using like fractions 291 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 1: of an inch that still wouldn't work. Um, what else, Chuck, Well, 292 00:17:56,240 --> 00:17:59,680 Speaker 1: you point out, very astute lee some odd properties of 293 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:03,360 Speaker 1: zero row and they are actually called the properties of zero, 294 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 1: because it's such a weird number that you have to 295 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: have properties to explain it exactly. So the which this 296 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: person called is the additive property of zero property. Add 297 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: zero to anything and you're gonna get that same thing. 298 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 1: This sounds very basic, same with subtracting. Sure, five plus 299 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:25,439 Speaker 1: zeros five zero is five, right, and it is very basic. 300 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:29,200 Speaker 1: But zero is the only number that doesn't affect another 301 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,760 Speaker 1: number when it's added or subtracted to it, which is important. 302 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 1: It is any time a number is the only thing 303 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:40,160 Speaker 1: of its kind, it's worth mentioning. Like pie. There's um, 304 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:42,520 Speaker 1: which by the way, wouldn't exist without zero in the 305 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:47,080 Speaker 1: decimal system, or any of those It wouldn't exist. To us, Um, 306 00:18:47,119 --> 00:18:51,359 Speaker 1: there's the additive inverse property of zero, where any numbers 307 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:55,920 Speaker 1: that add up to zero are additive inverses of one another. 308 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:01,199 Speaker 1: So negative five plus positive five, or just five as 309 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:04,639 Speaker 1: they call it in positive land, equal zero. So negative 310 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:08,199 Speaker 1: five and five are additive inverses of one another. Multiplying 311 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:11,240 Speaker 1: from the time you're I think I learned in the 312 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:15,159 Speaker 1: second grade my multiplication tables. I remember correctly. Ms. Anderson 313 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: and MS. Temple, Thank you very much. Uh. They taught 314 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,880 Speaker 1: me that if you multiply any number by zero, you're 315 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: going to get zero. And as you point out, that 316 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:31,720 Speaker 1: multiplication is really just a quicker way of adding things, shortcut. Yeah, 317 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:35,439 Speaker 1: it's a shortcut. So the idea that a number can 318 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:39,399 Speaker 1: be added zero times uh, or that zero can be 319 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:42,359 Speaker 1: added to itself, that's when I get the most. Yeah, 320 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: it's just doesn't make any sense. Like you like, five 321 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:47,840 Speaker 1: times zero doesn't mean zero plus zero. Plas zero place 322 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 1: zero place zero. That doesn't mean anything zero, right, what 323 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:56,160 Speaker 1: about dividing by zero? Let me ask you. No, let 324 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:57,959 Speaker 1: me ask you. This is the part where I was like, 325 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: nobody understands this. I don't feel very bad about this 326 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:05,199 Speaker 1: because no one actually understands it. Um, there's no So 327 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: there's these other properties of zero that cover like additive 328 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:12,760 Speaker 1: inverse edition and subtracting multiplication. There is no property that 329 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:16,120 Speaker 1: says why you can't divide by zero because it's so 330 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:19,719 Speaker 1: nonsensical it doesn't even exist. The concept of dividing by 331 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:24,280 Speaker 1: zero doesn't really actually exist except in you know, the 332 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:28,159 Speaker 1: imagination of people. I bet mathematicians have tried, though, like 333 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:33,000 Speaker 1: frustratingly tried. You can't. There's nothing you can do, and 334 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 1: they don't even fully understand why. But the um. The 335 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: best explanation that I saw was that it has to 336 00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: do kind of with the multiplication property, right to where 337 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 1: if you divide something, so like six divided by two 338 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 1: equals three. So if you can divide a number, um, 339 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: the result of that number by the divisor so in 340 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 1: this case, three and two multiplied by one another should 341 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 1: equal the dividend, which just six. Now, if you divide 342 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:06,679 Speaker 1: six by zero, right, it doesn't equal anything. It should 343 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 1: equal zero if you multiply it, it's like an equal to. Uh. 344 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 1: That's the best example I could come up with. Yeah, 345 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:17,600 Speaker 1: that makes sense, so it shouldn't. Well, I mean, you're 346 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:21,159 Speaker 1: completely insane. It makes sense that it doesn't make sense. Okay, 347 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: that's what I'm saying, and Stephen might had a joke. 348 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:25,439 Speaker 1: He said that black holes are where God tried to 349 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 1: divide by zero. You like, that's good Stephen, right his Uh, 350 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,959 Speaker 1: I still did that his one bit. Sometimes when UM 351 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:40,920 Speaker 1: people get in the car with me, I say, hey, 352 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:42,560 Speaker 1: put your seat belt on. I want to try something. 353 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: That was one of his jokes. Nice, He's like, just 354 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:48,320 Speaker 1: try that whenever someone gets in a car. He's good. Um. 355 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:50,680 Speaker 1: And then also there's the property of zero exponent, which 356 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:53,119 Speaker 1: also doesn't make any sense. Chuck, there's UM. You know, 357 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 1: there's negative exponents, like numbers to the negative power tend 358 00:21:56,359 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 1: to the negative five because of this. Mathematically it works out, 359 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,720 Speaker 1: but I don't understand it. UM numbers to the zero 360 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:07,280 Speaker 1: power equal one. That doesn't make any sense because zero 361 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:11,959 Speaker 1: multiplied by something should equal zero, not one. That's how 362 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:16,000 Speaker 1: it works out. Though it's a magical, mysterious number. At 363 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:18,760 Speaker 1: my hero zero and I ran across one other thing 364 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:22,119 Speaker 1: that I thought was pretty cool. UM. The The the 365 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 1: evidence of um Islamic countries comfort with zero concept and 366 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:32,040 Speaker 1: Western countries discomfort with it, can be found still today 367 00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:36,800 Speaker 1: on elevators in countries where the Ottoman turks or UM 368 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:41,080 Speaker 1: any other Islamic nation um conquered and ruled for a while, 369 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: you're still going to find evidence of a comfort with zero, 370 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,600 Speaker 1: like in Hungary. If you look in Spain, I here too, 371 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,840 Speaker 1: if you look on an elevator, the ground floor is zero. 372 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:54,480 Speaker 1: In any floor beneath that is a negative number, really 373 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: like the basement parking, like negative one, negative two? Isn't 374 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:03,239 Speaker 1: that cool? And apparently that's because of the presence of 375 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 1: the Turks who were there for a while. Wow, yeah, 376 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 1: I mean they didn't have elevators then, but apparently, like 377 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:11,159 Speaker 1: the that's like, you don't see a floor zero in 378 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 1: the West, No, you don't. We just don't like zero 379 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 1: that much. Or a fourth thirteen right, although it is thirteen. 380 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:21,119 Speaker 1: We've had that talk before. I think, yeah, what do 381 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 1: we have here? P one, P two in our building? 382 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 1: Definitely not negatives. Let's say that from now on, Like 383 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 1: what love you parked on? I'm on negative four, I 384 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,200 Speaker 1: will say that what I will say that right now, 385 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:36,639 Speaker 1: I'm on negative three. I'm on negative two. Go and 386 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:41,480 Speaker 1: chuck um. And also, let's see you can type zero. 387 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,440 Speaker 1: You got anything else? You're just happy to be done 388 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,120 Speaker 1: with this one? No, this was actually really good. Um, 389 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:49,840 Speaker 1: I don't know about that. Zero is my hero a 390 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:53,639 Speaker 1: magic number. If you type in zero and this the 391 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: search bar how stuff works dot Com, it will bring 392 00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:58,680 Speaker 1: up this article, including a cool little story that we 393 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 1: didn't get to about a great parent. True. Uh. And 394 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:06,119 Speaker 1: also I highly encourage if if this even piqued your 395 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:08,959 Speaker 1: interest at all, I highly encourage you to read zero 396 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,680 Speaker 1: in four Dimensions, which is an article you can find 397 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:15,440 Speaker 1: online from two thousand to by a guy named Hassain Arsham, 398 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:18,679 Speaker 1: and he explains in much greater depth in detail like 399 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:21,959 Speaker 1: zero and what's so cool about it? Or if you 400 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 1: want to really get into it, Robert Kaplan wrote a 401 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:27,320 Speaker 1: whole book on it. And I believe it comes to 402 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:31,440 Speaker 1: the length of rope and a buttressed beme to hang 403 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,359 Speaker 1: yourself at the at the end, we should do one 404 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: on three, all right. I pitched that article a long 405 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,720 Speaker 1: time ago. A long time ago, remember on on three? 406 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:43,920 Speaker 1: I remember, so those would be our two. No, I'd 407 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:45,199 Speaker 1: have to write it now, so I don't know if 408 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:47,360 Speaker 1: it all ever happened, get to it. I wrote this 409 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,200 Speaker 1: so we could do this. You're more of a man 410 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,439 Speaker 1: than me, um, I think at some point in the 411 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:57,080 Speaker 1: not too distant past. Check, I said, search bar. So 412 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:01,440 Speaker 1: that means it's time for listener. Now hold on, Josh, 413 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: I think you have a quick announcement first, I do. 414 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:07,119 Speaker 1: I psyched myself out. It's crazy, Um, Chuck. We're going 415 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,760 Speaker 1: to be in Austin, Texas on March eleventh and twelveth 416 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:13,640 Speaker 1: It's Sunday and Monday for south By Southwest Interactive. Right, 417 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 1: We're going to have our own panel. We're not even 418 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 1: on a panel talking with some other shmos about like 419 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:22,880 Speaker 1: Mashable or Twitter the like. We are doing a live 420 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: podcast like we did last year. Remember the how UFOs 421 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 1: worked one, the really awkward, uncomfortable one. I started crying. 422 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:32,200 Speaker 1: We're gonna do something like that. Um. And we don't 423 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,240 Speaker 1: know what the topic is yet, but if you are 424 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:37,480 Speaker 1: a badge holder for south By Southwest, come see us. Uh. 425 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:40,160 Speaker 1: It's going to be on Sunday, March eleventh at three 426 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: thirty hour long. We don't know where yet, but we 427 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:48,119 Speaker 1: will announce maybe on the internet like Twitter or um 428 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 1: uh Facebook, and on the show. We'll find out soon. 429 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:55,920 Speaker 1: Sure yeah um. And if you aren't a badge holder 430 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:57,639 Speaker 1: at south By Southwest, but you like to go and 431 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:00,239 Speaker 1: just kick around Austin. You'll be there on Monday. We're 432 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:02,760 Speaker 1: gonna throw a party and we can't reveal really the 433 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:06,760 Speaker 1: details of that yet, but I just know that we'll 434 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:08,840 Speaker 1: be in town. We'll be doing cool stuff. Okay. I 435 00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:10,720 Speaker 1: think there will be live music. I think there will 436 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: be live comedy, and I think there will be some 437 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:17,040 Speaker 1: other special treats, yes, like those like smarties. The roles 438 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 1: of Smarties. We may have those good. Uh they beat 439 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:24,560 Speaker 1: the tar out of Neco wafers, don't they. Okay, well, 440 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,720 Speaker 1: that's it for us making fun of old time and candy, 441 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:30,600 Speaker 1: which means it's time for listener mail. Indeed, I'm gonna 442 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: call this uh coffee including coffee song from a listener. Okay, 443 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:40,159 Speaker 1: this is from Ashley. Great work on the Coffee podcast, gents. 444 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,200 Speaker 1: I could have saved my last four years of work 445 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,920 Speaker 1: at a cafe just by listening to y'all. Really though, 446 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: it was a splendid way to spend my days getting 447 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:55,200 Speaker 1: to know the locals in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, North America. 448 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 1: Or have we entered the song yet because he rhymed 449 00:26:58,359 --> 00:27:00,879 Speaker 1: a second again. No, that is not the song. Okay, 450 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,680 Speaker 1: that's coming. Uh, she's just a rhymer by nature, I think. 451 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:07,159 Speaker 1: While I can't say I'm a total coffee snobber expert, 452 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:09,359 Speaker 1: I do have a thought on the old wise Starbucks 453 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:11,879 Speaker 1: a bitter debate. I think that part of the taste 454 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:14,000 Speaker 1: comes from the number of beans used in the blend. 455 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:16,640 Speaker 1: For instance, at the cafe I used to run, we 456 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:21,119 Speaker 1: served both Milano Coffee and then Umbria. I believe that 457 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:23,919 Speaker 1: each of these companies, plus the coffee I now drink 458 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:28,919 Speaker 1: called Intelligentsia, contains a blend of beans as many as 459 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:32,720 Speaker 1: fifteen different kinds to create that smooth balance I really love. 460 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 1: In my americanos, it's her last name Starbuck. No no no, no, 461 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,800 Speaker 1: she's saying Starbucks doesn't use the blend. It's more better. 462 00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 1: Her name is mom and pop the last name. As 463 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,199 Speaker 1: far as I understand, Starbucks may use this view as 464 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 1: one to three types of beans and their espresso blend. 465 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:52,200 Speaker 1: Like I said, I think this may be a part 466 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:55,040 Speaker 1: of the story, but not likely the whole story. On 467 00:27:55,119 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: another note, since leaving the cafe, I now work with 468 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:00,919 Speaker 1: a group of software nerds who used to visit my 469 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:04,880 Speaker 1: cafe on a regular basis, So now I too get 470 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:06,639 Speaker 1: to go for coffee every day. It's one of the 471 00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:10,239 Speaker 1: parts of the job, pun intended. We have, uh, we 472 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: even have a little coffee song. And she recorded this 473 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:15,840 Speaker 1: and sent it to us. So we're going to play 474 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:20,440 Speaker 1: that right now. Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, all day long. 475 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,399 Speaker 1: When I need some coffee, I sing the coffee song. 476 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:26,879 Speaker 1: Well that's the g rated version I learned. This is 477 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:28,719 Speaker 1: the other version I learned a little bit later on. 478 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:32,640 Speaker 1: It goes like this, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee all day long. 479 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 1: If I don't give my coffee, I'll punched at in this. 480 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:39,800 Speaker 1: So how about that, Josh, that was something else. Thank 481 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 1: you Ashley for that. Yeah, thanks a lot, she says. 482 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:44,520 Speaker 1: As you can tell, we're a bit mad about our 483 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:49,320 Speaker 1: coffee drinking. It's the new smoke break for us. What, um, 484 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 1: where where where is that person? She didn't say, Oh no, 485 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 1: she did say, I'm sorry, Edmonton, Alberta. That's right, that's right. Well, 486 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 1: thank you very much for that. We appreciate too, and um, 487 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:05,520 Speaker 1: your co workers for making that song, for listening, for 488 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 1: drinking coffee, indeed, for caring. That's great. Yeah. Um, if 489 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,560 Speaker 1: you have a song, Chuck, we get them from time 490 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:14,200 Speaker 1: to time, and I feel like we should we should 491 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:17,200 Speaker 1: be better about playing them. Yes, Uh, we want to 492 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,720 Speaker 1: hear it. You can, I guess make it as like 493 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,880 Speaker 1: an MP three MP four. MP three is good, right, Jerry, 494 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:29,000 Speaker 1: MP three? Uh? And uh. You can send it to us. 495 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:31,200 Speaker 1: You can tweet to us and tell us it's on 496 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 1: the way at a s Y s K podcast. You 497 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:35,760 Speaker 1: can go onto Facebook and tell us it's on the 498 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:37,960 Speaker 1: way at Facebook dot com, slash stuff you should know. 499 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:41,360 Speaker 1: And you can actually send it to us at stuff 500 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:48,320 Speaker 1: podcast at Discovery dot com. What Discovery dot com? Okay, 501 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 1: that's Stuff podcast at Discovery dot com for moral this 502 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. VI is it how stuff 503 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,080 Speaker 1: works dot com. To learn more about the podcast, click 504 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:04,480 Speaker 1: on the podcast icon in the upper right corner of 505 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:08,000 Speaker 1: our home page. The House Stuffork's iPhone app has arrived. 506 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:13,560 Speaker 1: Download it to day on iTunes, brought to you by 507 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 1: the reinvented two thousand twelve Camri. It's ready, are you