0:00:00But now if you cut it you can put in the extra bits on the on the cheap. Don't don't.
0:00:04Not making any promises about that. This could this could be cut and then that's the ultimate humiliation.
0:00:10It's like devil cat.
0:00:13It's always funny like we talked before the show and like I'm looking at you on the camera and it's like normal
0:00:19and then when we go into this blind mode and you're just a voice it's like you're a different person.
0:00:22Do you do you feel that it's a strange transition I think from oh we're just chatting about what we were just talking
0:00:29about your very handsome office a moment ago but now suddenly it feels like there are people here
0:00:35and of course the Internet is now here with That's it that's what it is it feels like
0:00:39when we go into a star it feels like there are more people all of a sudden that's what that feeling is yes.
0:00:45So it is it is different.
0:00:47Suddenly even though our physical surroundings have changed basically not at all except that I can no longer see you
0:00:55and you can no longer see me. Interesting that's interesting.
0:01:00Anyway enough of this crisis follow I have something I'm going to call feedback on feedback on feedback with wow here
0:01:09is on our You Tube channel which is ten episodes behind our audio version.
0:01:16I recently just put up the feedback on feedback episode so it's interesting to have this bit of a time delay for the
0:01:24You Tube people versus the audio people
0:01:26and it's like Inception every time we talk about people commenting on videos that are commenting on bits of it yes it
0:01:33does and then try and trying to keep in mind that this is then going to be our conversation is going to pass through.
0:01:38So are we talking to the people in the future
0:01:40or it's always very strange in that episode that is the episode where we talk about people who is the person who leaves
0:01:48a three star review that you only get five star reviews or three star reviews five star reviews or one star reviews
0:01:55but you don't get very many three star reviews and you get the people who hate people who do.
0:02:00Things in the paper we hate things and you don't get that many people.
0:02:03Yes And so but I can't help
0:02:05but notice that since we put that up on You Tube That's the episode in which we're talking about reviews.
0:02:10I noticed we got another spike of reviews on i Tunes for the pod cast and I do go through
0:02:17and I read all of those I have a little program that actually aggregates the reviews from all over the world so I can
0:02:21see what you know what reviews people have left about the show because I'm very interested.
0:02:25I feel the need to officially tell people you don't need to leave a three star review just so that I will read it
0:02:33but we had a big spike in people leaving three star reviews saying whoa i totally love the show
0:02:40but Grace had that nobody leaves so he star reviews. So here's my three star review. Love the show.
0:02:48It's like it's like
0:02:49when you get I mean you probably don't get to say much because your videos get watched very quickly
0:02:53but on some of my slower channels you will get a point where you have a video that's been out for a while
0:03:00and it's only got sums up everyone's lot and it's had zero dislikes
0:03:04and as soon as someone points that out in the comments and says oh wow isn't it great is
0:03:09when he has never had a single dislike you dislike within half a second. Yes because someone just wants to.
0:03:14Yes that's a moment to break break something beautiful.
0:03:18Yes that's exactly
0:03:19and you should you should tell you should tell people that you will only read the five star reviews with this
0:03:23aggregator of yours.
0:03:24So if people want to have that comment read by you personally in touch they have to lay the first no I will I will be
0:03:31honest about that. I do read all the reviews so just say if you actually like this show.
0:03:38Leaving a three star review is not the most helpful thing that you can do I promise I will read a bit of your view
0:03:43anyway so I don't you know I got my videos I don't like to say the end of the videos like that everyone does on You
0:03:50Tube Oh don't forget to like the video
0:03:52but since we've had people go out of their way to give us review lower than they normally would.
0:03:58I'm going to take this opportunity to. Just ask if you enjoy the show.
0:04:02Would you please leave a review that is actually reflective of the star that you think the show should get I would I
0:04:08would appreciate that. So this is my call. Second call for reviews and just to put that out there. I read them all.
0:04:16It's not like my emails where I delete things instantly.
0:04:19I'm very interested to hear what people have to say about the show in the reviews.
0:04:22If it makes you feel bad my mom reads the reviews as well so she doesn't like to see people give me ramen you shouldn't
0:04:29OK
0:04:31and I don't think that you think they are trying to get people into it I think they try to be fair I think a ten year three
0:04:38star show anyway. But there's another side to the compilation.
0:04:46Well I think I'm trying to but how to answer that which is.
0:04:51So as we have said many times this is this is the two dude talking genre
0:04:57and I always feel with these things that in the grand scheme of pod cast that are available for people to listen to.
0:05:06Yes I think this show maybe a three star show
0:05:10when you're talking about comparison to something like Radio Lab For example you know a five star pod cast no no doubt
0:05:17about it.
0:05:18But it's again it's always with this kind of show it's about the reaction for the person listening to the people
0:05:25talking and so for some people they're really going to like it and for some people they're really going to not like it.
0:05:31My sigh was because I can both kind of agree with you but I look about it in a slightly different way.
0:05:37You took that way more seriously than you were supposed to it was just like a glib comment you know I really very fair.
0:05:42I actually I actually listen to the podcast with you but I feel like I've been in
0:05:46and sometimes from going for a walk
0:05:47and I've listened to all the ones I want to listen to go check on one of those on hello internets
0:05:52and have a reminisce of the action we had a few times so I just I just like the.
0:06:00The reminiscing there because we have that long
0:06:03but how do you find listening to the show because I mean I have I usually end up listening to it about three times
0:06:12probably before it goes up
0:06:13but that's because I'm I'm editing it so yeah I mean how is it taking a little taking a little walk like how he enjoyed
0:06:21listening to the show.
0:06:22I always like the most recent one and think that one's aura and the outer ones I don't like
0:06:28and I'm like that with my videos.
0:06:29If I watch I can watch my old videos which I still enjoy the most recent video I think it's pretty good.
0:06:36People icons and yeah nobody can nobody can watch their
0:06:39or their old stuff so is terribly contorting I do want to mention just before I forget one one more thing about the the
0:06:45feedback on feedback on feedback which is yeah I haven't done in a while is mention new countries where we have reviews
0:06:54and when I guess and that's of course because it's like as time goes on it's harder and harder to get new countries.
0:07:01You're playing Magic the Gathering and you know that sounds like something that you value.
0:07:05Yes it's a it's a card game you have to like buy decks of cards but some of the cards are really rare
0:07:11and so if you are in a country that we haven't received a review from Yet you are basically like one of the rare Magic
0:07:19the Gathering cards that's or that's a look out here. It's like a sports guy the sports car.
0:07:24So that when I'm with you I do they vary the frequency of those get sometimes you get special cards
0:07:29and they'll be a lot of these premium ones that are on this shiny foil sort of material
0:07:34and they're not rare ones to get lucky.
0:07:36It's like a golden ticket and while he won't be wiping your pack
0:07:38and there's one of these you know whether the players
0:07:41or printed on not just different code material I did know that this is the same idea.
0:07:48So we have three that I just wanted to mention quickly I have not been to any of these places
0:07:53but they are Costa Rica Cyprus and Ecuador are our new three.
0:08:00Since the last time I mentioned this a little while ago so thank you very much to the reviewers in those countries who
0:08:06have added to our list of places that we have reviews from so thank you very much.
0:08:11You know Costa Rica's been awesome in the World Cup That's one of the moment I do not know that they were what they
0:08:17were like overachievers who actually maybe they weren't overachievers I was awesome.
0:08:23I LIKE THEY WON THE GREAT with England and Italy and all that and thank you.
0:08:26They're out now but they did really well no one. Congratulations Costa Rica.
0:08:30Yeah talk to me that kindles you had you had yet you had to be ever vigilant rant about candles in the last episode if
0:08:38you've gotten over that.
0:08:39No Well no I haven't gotten over it because I have to face the horrors that I discussed last time every day
0:08:45when I read a book so no I haven't gotten over it.
0:08:49You sure can do every day I make a real attempt to try and read something long form every day
0:08:56and I usually do that on like on the Kindle.
0:08:58I'm not always successful
0:09:00but I do I do try to carve out time to say OK I'm going I am going to read some section of a book now
0:09:06and I find the Kindle is the best for that.
0:09:09Aside from all the pairing the day to day this soul of a like your bed time thing.
0:09:13When do you normally find this reading time around lunchtime is
0:09:18when I'll do it like OK it's lunch now I'm going to try to carve out at least twenty minutes where I'm just going to
0:09:23sit here and I'm going to read you know section of a of a non-fiction book that I'm working my way through so.
0:09:29Discipline with your time.
0:09:31Well I mean this is this is the ideal version of it I don't do it every day
0:09:34but I would say I do it most days of the week and I'm not going to be curious to know my hit rate is on this boat.
0:09:39More days than not I do it is what I would say so anyway don't you read regularly.
0:09:46Well it's usually like bedtime Sometimes I'll dislike it if I've got time I was going to write a chapter of a book.
0:09:54Or if I go on holidays or trips and planes and things like that I certainly don't have like.
0:10:00A regime or carve out time for it's just kind of does not last is too busy
0:10:07or I have a little checklist with my daily checklist
0:10:11and read for twenty minutes is one of the items on there so I am happy when I can successfully check that check box.
0:10:17That's how I do it
0:10:18but you don't have to check that check box you realize you could just say I'm not going to do that today
0:10:23and I'm going to do this instead of doing this for a longer oh oh no don't don't make a C.
0:10:27Don't make what makes what makes you obey the checklist because I wake up every morning thinking of all the things I
0:10:32want to do and I'm going to go to the gym and I'm going to do this and I'm going to pay those bills
0:10:37and I'm going to sew everything at and then the end of the day comes
0:10:39and it's like well actually I didn't do any of that because I got sidetracked. What makes you go by yourself.
0:10:46This could be a whole topic on its own but nothing makes me obey the checklist.
0:10:49It's I have one particular checklist that I use which is the kind of ideal checklist that on an ideal day checklist I
0:10:58should say which is that a name has it got like a name saved and I called the work flow checklist
0:11:04but it's basically flat. In a perfect day I would hit all of the items on this list.
0:11:10So there's time that blocked out for different kinds of activities one of which happens to be the reading some of it
0:11:16which happens to be working on the next video there's a few other things
0:11:19but there is not maybe ten items on this which is the perfect day is hitting all of these items.
0:11:25How if there's any potential you can reel off the list for us now are not going to knock out its secret
0:11:31but are really out there like a legal activity. Rob a bank.
0:11:37Yet there is nothing that forces me but it's it's an it's a nice way to keep track of how did I do
0:11:44and then I can be a little bit reflective at the end of the day which I can look at the checklist
0:11:47and say like well today was a day that didn't go very well
0:11:50or you know look at that almost everything is checked off on this list like this is a very good day.
0:11:54The reading is on there because it's not important on any particular day but it's something that.
0:12:00Matters over the long run whether or not you read every day matters over a long time scale.
0:12:06So it's something I've tried to not skip.
0:12:09And there's a few other items that are kind of like that stuff that it's not important today
0:12:13but it does matter over the longer term so I want to throw down a challenge to everyone he comments on Reddit on the
0:12:21podcasts to list the ten times I think around a great checklist and
0:12:26when we eventually get access to that list in a future pod cast Lucy how I pay for work and be serious about it.
0:12:34Put silly things or read things. Yeah tell me internet out of this silly that's that's going to work.
0:12:40Yeah that's like ten of them. Freestyle reviews don't hurt my mother's feelings by leaving him in review.
0:12:47I'm back to they can go there. Oh yes that's what we're talking about right.
0:12:52People were sending me all of this information I wanted to know why. Why Kendall do you do this horrific thing.
0:13:00A fully justifying the text and making every day a little bit fatter for me
0:13:06and people sent me all of these answers saying how it's baked into the format of Kindle books that the books are
0:13:12specified that they're going to be fully justified as it is so I got some answers from people trying to speculate about
0:13:18stuff
0:13:19but then I found out which is just made me even sadder about this whole situation which I did not think was possible
0:13:27that on the older model Kindles which maybe you have because as we found out last time you've no idea what Kindle you
0:13:35even have a similar photo with my can do. You did not I never got a photo of your Kindle.
0:13:40I said You even did I have to but I don't remember you commented that I had because it was on charge
0:13:47and you said you've never seen the uncharged SANDOVAL Oh I forgot about this yesterday but I think that's right.
0:13:56OK I should know what kind it is but you at least have a photo of it. You should know. I guess I do.
0:14:01That hasn't got a cable or a button. You did send me that thing. I just put that out of my mind.
0:14:09Oh OK so you have the same Kindle that I do you have OK for white. Yeah that's what you have Brady. Now you know.
0:14:15Thank you.
0:14:17Yes So what I discovered that made me even more sad is that on the older model of Kindles there is a secret option that
0:14:28people can enable which will left justify the text.
0:14:34Here's why this is infuriating to me because this immediately invalidates all of the arguments that other people have
0:14:42have sent me about like oh it's a formatting problem.
0:14:45Like there's some sort of technical reason there obviously isn't if there's a secret option on the older Kindles to be
0:14:53able to left align the text it is technically possible which which means I am being pushed into the belief.
0:15:04That Amazon is just either irrational
0:15:08or vindictive with its choice to force fully fully justified text on the Kindle page there's a if it's technically
0:15:15possible if you used to let people do it if people who still have old Kindles can left justified the text then you're
0:15:22just being mean by taking this option away on the newer Kindles.
0:15:27There must be a reason that My Space I want to believe that there is a reason I really do.
0:15:33But now it's now it's just I don't I don't know what to think anymore.
0:15:38Again if if anybody listening to the sound of my workplace works at Amazon it's OK you can send me an anonymous email.
0:15:45I won't tell anyone I just need to know review that is what that that is what I want to review
0:15:56or if you're on the software team and Kindle.
0:16:00Just you know slip slip in a hidden option for the paper white
0:16:04and then no one will know you just put to get that passed through on the code review for the next the next iteration.
0:16:11And you know make everybody happy but would be awesome if the way you accessed it was you had to type like C.G.
0:16:18Pay on some screen and be the best that would be the one that would because I'd be really excited about that
0:16:25and I could more pleasantly read books every day
0:16:28and so could everybody else just left just a part of the text Amazon anyway.
0:16:33Anyway I don't get started but that's that was my feedback.
0:16:36I am even sadder after learning more about the situation which I did not think was possible.
0:16:41So you know that's that I would like to thank everybody who has been tweeting
0:16:48and e-mailing me over all the times they say in the word humbled being used in various books and articles
0:16:57and it's become it's become quite fun it's become kind of like a Where's Wally wake.
0:17:02Where can you find them and send them in.
0:17:04Much appreciated and entertained
0:17:07and also as we record this it's the night after Brazil were dumped out of their own soccer World Cup.
0:17:17In traumatic circumstances for them they were beaten seven one by Germany which is an unprecedented result especially
0:17:26for a team like that and lots of people trying to meet you in the game
0:17:29and said Now surely this is an example of a team or US sports people being humbled
0:17:35and indeed it was very traumatic for the people of Brazil with my condolences but I know it's only sport in Brazil.
0:17:42It transcends sport.
0:17:44Well losing losing a semifinal of the World Cup in your own country after all that they would up in such a spectacular
0:17:51fashion. I feel their pain. And I don't I don't follow this very closely either but I can tell.
0:18:00I sympathize with that feeling of you. Everybody wants the hosting country to win.
0:18:05That's how it should work
0:18:07or at the very least make it to the final round so I can definitely understand that it is very crushing.
0:18:14How do you feel the same way with the Olympics whoever's hosting the Olympics it feels like I really hope they get the
0:18:18most gold medals. And why do I feel that way when I mean you don't feel that way.
0:18:24I feel the opposite I don't always think it's unfair.
0:18:27I always think if you win a major major thing in your own country you've done it with the assistance of an advantage
0:18:37and I think that slightly detracts from the glory of the win.
0:18:44Controversial And I I don't know I mean it just seems too much of a coincidence that the host country suddenly wins
0:18:52more often.
0:18:53Obviously they're they've got an advantage there is I spent all my life training to be the world's best at something
0:19:01and then I went to the Olympics
0:19:02and I got picked by someone from the home country who obviously got that extra bit of support from the craft.
0:19:08I'd be devastated if they won because of you know I know they didn't take drugs
0:19:13but they got an advantage that I didn't get home home ground advantage.
0:19:19So what you're saying is that the Olympics or the World Cup should be held in a country that is not participating.
0:19:26No I'm not I'm not saying that
0:19:28and it's just I think that's what's hard it's just it's just part of the base that someone is going to have that
0:19:34advantage but I think this feeling that everyone wants their home country to win. I don't think that's fair.
0:19:39I think it's like I mean all the more glory to someone who can who can win against the home country on their home turf
0:19:48like it's good for the tournament
0:19:50and it's good that Brazil got as far as they did because the more the people of the country are interested in the
0:19:55tournament the better the tournament is and the crowds are more active there's more.
0:20:00There's more buzz around the house thing.
0:20:02I'm glad Brazil did well and Brazil and just between you
0:20:06and may perceive a pretty handy soccer so you know they win their share of World Cups anyway
0:20:11but I think this home advantage thing I've always felt this you know I think there's more glory in winning something on
0:20:20foreign soil there's more glory for the winning team
0:20:24but I still feel like I would I would have wanted Brazil to win even though I'm not invested in this that I would like
0:20:30wherever it is it is hosted.
0:20:32I feel like if I was the architect of the universe I would want them to win but that seems that seems better.
0:20:39I feel a bit like well the best team didn't win but you know the best team didn't get to win I guess.
0:20:46Stowe stole what was rightfully theirs as they had an advantage.
0:20:49I'm realizing what I of course I grew that I'm realizing what I'm what I'm actually saying
0:20:53but not what I'm actually thinking
0:20:55but not saying is that I want whoever is hosting the game to happen to also have the best team that year.
0:21:03That's what I want thing on my app. Fair enough.
0:21:07This is fairly unreasonable request
0:21:10but that's what I want to I'm not going to sweat a Strat to host a big event I want to strive to win everything it's
0:21:15not like I you know I'm as biased as the next man. Yeah.
0:21:21Anyway I don't know what to think about what I just said but I'm sure I'll be told.
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0:23:33Squarespace everything you need to create an exceptional website. Any more follow up.
0:23:40No
0:23:40but what I do you have is drum roll please the triumphant return of plane crash corner is that not one not like you have
0:23:53just made so many people happy New Year's Eve You gave me enough incentive there with that Romero and you.
0:24:00Find enough enthusiasm for me to talk about plans for a minute.
0:24:03I'm really interested I want to hear where your mum does
0:24:08when he's not reading reviews I know she enjoys playing Christian does she does.
0:24:11There are two things I was going to mention.
0:24:14One is despite my sort of interest in aviation I've never really followed aviation Twitter streams
0:24:20and things very closely. But I've recently started following a couple.
0:24:24I kind of remember they they sort of aviation gate so you know obviously sit at their computer
0:24:29and watch the live trackers of every plane in the world doing what they're doing. I really enjoy it.
0:24:35You get lots of great pictures and information about things happening in the world of aviation but and there is a
0:24:42but they do make flying. Suddenly same Much much unsafer than I previously thought because one of the.
0:24:51But I think it's the sort of False Alarm sort of thing I've learned is every time any plane decides it's got a problem
0:24:59and wants to divert or land or skip the queue or go somewhere else.
0:25:06This becomes huge breaking news for these traits of AIDS you know Flight seven four three has declared an emergency
0:25:12and is now heading to Paris and they've got these regular updates and you can click on links and follow it
0:25:18and you suddenly thinking oh my goodness a crush is going to happen this is amazing luck on another
0:25:23and then every single time the plane lands and it turns out someone stopped their time
0:25:29or you know I always always look in on board medical emergency or something it could be anything
0:25:35but every time you think something amazing is happening
0:25:37and maybe just some minor technical thing it would seem a little blank and jump the queue
0:25:42but it has you know you know I'm always the first person to side flying is very safe.
0:25:46Following these Twitter streams does change your outlook on that and actually changes it falsely.
0:25:54Flying is to say that this sort of. So that's something that's something I'll send you some.
0:26:00The two streams and you can follow them.
0:26:01Please don't please don't send me this internet
0:26:05and adding daily anxiety to my Twitter stream my trip is to can see nothing but problems.
0:26:12That's like signing up to a police blotter is all around the world. Twitter stream.
0:26:18I know what I would love I would love to be informed of every murder.
0:26:22Please let me know about every murder that happens in the world.
0:26:26If I want to know every day you would never want to go outside of that stream.
0:26:32So we have these little the little local and use that as a newspapers where I live.
0:26:38Pop through your letter box and now have like a little crime Kona
0:26:42and every single thing that happens in there in the town like you know Betty Jones had her pop pop pop stolen from
0:26:50house number three. Like makes it into the publication. Suddenly like Glee everything's like everyone's a plant.
0:26:59So anyway we better take it easy than tonight. Yeah exactly. So you're following him.
0:27:05You can you can follow things too closely. Yes definitely.
0:27:08But there was a video posted just recently I don't know if you say it certainly everyone has sent it to me.
0:27:16And well they sent it to more than me because being watched sixteen million times
0:27:21and I can assure you I'm responsible for only about five of them
0:27:24but it was a plane a seven six seven plane coming in to land recently at the airport at Barcelona
0:27:32and as it came in to land another seven six seven was sort of crucial ing along on the ground
0:27:38and crossed the runway as it was going about its business
0:27:42and the two it looks like the two it would have would have hit on this plan that was coming into land sort of at the
0:27:47last minute fires up the engines to maximum you can hear the engine screaming and
0:27:52and pulls up at the very last minute and flies over the top of this plane slowly crawling across its runway.
0:28:00It's worth a watch you know it's really interesting to say you know if you get to say these things.
0:28:05So I'm sure you put them in can in the not so small plane crash in the near plane crash it's the you you tell me that
0:28:13so I was just so I was trying to pull it if you're watching
0:28:16and you tear seven six thousand three hundred near there is a question mark.
0:28:21Surely they know the person who posted this
0:28:23or you decided I mean here I mean it's not us you know that they're not like you know rubbing paint off each other
0:28:29but you could see what could be what could have happened. Are you watching it.
0:28:35I just pulled up now have a little watch OK I know I know I complained about the question mark in this
0:28:47but now I can see why there is a question mark in this video.
0:28:52One question I feel like it's not that it's not close enough. It's actually just that.
0:28:59The angle makes it difficult to appreciate the closeness.
0:29:03But you know with that you can definitely say looking at this video that they would have collided had the plane not
0:29:09pulled up at the last moment and it has sixteen million views as of as of this moment. Take it to the bank.
0:29:16Yeah
0:29:17but the thing is the thing to remember with those big planes today is like once it's like the Titanic you know it's one
0:29:23thing to say the iceberg in front of that evening going to do a few things and these things aren't as responsive
0:29:29and nimble as a bicycle. So yeah I ne Miskin doesn't necessarily look like an image.
0:29:35Yes cool video and such so I will put it put it in the description
0:29:40and still no news on that Malaysia plane who knows when we'll ever get to use.
0:29:45I was talking to a mate of mine who is a pilot the other day about it
0:29:48and you know I won't bore you with just more speculation.
0:29:51But one interesting thing he said to me was all those things that got switched off on the plane all those that that the
0:29:58tracking devices. That were manually switched off my mind.
0:30:03He flies commercial airliners said he wouldn't even know how to switch those things off if he was asked to do so it's
0:30:11not like it's not like someone has you know pressed the wrong button
0:30:14or something like that someone for someone to switch those things off is a pretty strong chance they have planned well
0:30:20in advance to switch it off.
0:30:22They were getting into conspiracy theory territory here is that you know you're the expert the expert not the expert.
0:30:32I'm to some numpty that follows on Twitter and and what is a question investigation T.V.
0:30:38Shows of the two US You are the expert that is true to us. Right so there you go if you're on a plane at the moment.
0:30:47Enjoy your flight.
0:30:48I see him on Twitter people requesting plane crash corner because they are going to the airport
0:30:55or because they have a flight I don't have hundreds Dechen says I'm I'm glad that people like it I'm glad the people it
0:31:03makes people happy. But I've I find that very strange. I don't I don't understand that mindset of yeah.
0:31:11Anyway I hope it made those people happy and spread a few nine eleven books on planes
0:31:16and their pictures on the cover of the of the towers being struck by planes
0:31:21and I always feel a bit weird doing them planes and sort of make sure I obscure the cover
0:31:26and things like that because it has to be that way things like bad form
0:31:30but you also told me you watched as the plane crash shows on the airplane to now I don't I don't do that because I
0:31:36don't I usually watch what's available on the plane
0:31:38and as yet most airlines have not started showing air crash investigation as part of the in-flight entertainment.
0:31:46If they had I probably would. Yeah that's exactly it.
0:31:50I just I'd love that if we ever fly somewhere together I don't want to sit next to you if you're going to be watching
0:31:57plane crash investigation the entire time I can.
0:32:00I went and I went and I probably won't talk too much about plane crashes.
0:32:04I know that's powerful and kind of if you know you put a video. Yes yes they did.
0:32:14Congratulations this is like it seems like you get chasing them at the moment
0:32:18but you know not everyone said that I don't feel like they're much faster
0:32:21but I don't know I haven't I haven't someone out there probably has a spreadsheet of my upload schedule I have no idea.
0:32:27But yes I got this one out. Franticly and just barely in time for the July fourth deadline.
0:32:36But yes this we're recording it shortly I should be not shortly after
0:32:40but a few days after the American empire video went live. It's already passed a million views.
0:32:48Yes that has crossed over into my very successful categorization which is more views then subscribers within seven days
0:32:55so I can't complain about interesting metric and I hate that one.
0:33:00I'm I'm pretty sure we talked about this before more so I came more season after remember that one I'll stop lying that
0:33:06I don't I don't think I don't think this works entirely but this
0:33:10and also because You Tube has a shall we say dramatically changed the way subscribers work since about a year ago my
0:33:19metric used to always be I would take the number of subscribers
0:33:22and you say OK I should get more if I take the subscriber number and divide it by three.
0:33:29So take one third of that I should get more views then the third of my subscribers within seven days
0:33:36and I got that number by looking at other channels that I thought were successful channels
0:33:42and seeing how do their video views do compared to the subscriber numbers.
0:33:47So that that was kind of my minimum threshold of of what counts as anything below that would be kind of a failure.
0:33:54But I may have to make life pretty miserable right now. Well it also depends on what kind of channel you're running.
0:34:00It's like you can't you have to look at OK what are comparable channels so I was looking at other channels that has
0:34:06like a low upload frequency but relatively successful videos but I haven't revised that number recently
0:34:14and I think I may have to because of the way I think subscribers.
0:34:18Those numbers mean less now than they used to so I think that estimate may be a little bit over optimistic
0:34:24but still I think a very successful video for me is more views than subscribers in seven days
0:34:29and so the American empire won't cross that and yes I'm pleased with that.
0:34:34There than was a comedian I think it was it was luck.
0:34:37It feels like kind of the American equivalent of your famous you know U.K.
0:34:42Explained video felt very much like that it was it was the it was the US version it was the video that was begging to
0:34:48be made. Yes yes that is exactly it and I have to say I have Jim Why the hell does it take so long to make it.
0:34:55Well I am kind of.
0:34:59Unable to believe that nobody made this video before me this is been anxious
0:35:04and on my mind for a long time that somebody was going to beat me to this video because it seemed it seemed like the
0:35:12obvious thing to do and I don't know why nobody made it before I did so how do you how do you know nobody's made it
0:35:21and it just wasn't successful and it's on some channel with seven views.
0:35:25Well I don't know that because I'm not You Tube omniscient I can't know if your hero is on the whole so I thought you
0:35:34were great. Why don't you know what everybody had for breakfast today.
0:35:42Let's see on the scope of Knowability this is the other. You didn't stop me saying it a minute ago.
0:35:49Yeah OK I would have to go back and edit in the word virally successful right.
0:35:55No one made a virally successful version of this video is the correct thing.
0:36:00But yes if you're if you are the if you are the listener who made the video that has seven views.
0:36:05I guess I'm sorry but that you know I was but I was I was anxious about getting kind of scooped on this one
0:36:13and I have been for a long time because this has been a relatively high on my To Do list
0:36:19and what does it take so long because first let me say I love the video. I actually liked it more than the U.K.
0:36:26One because I guess a lot of the stuff in the U.K.
0:36:28when I already knew you know part of the Commonwealth
0:36:31and all that where is the US one had lots of new information for me personally
0:36:36but watching it it didn't feel like a video that would take years of thinking and research.
0:36:41It felt like you know you just had to look the stuff up write a good script I mean you wrote a really good script
0:36:47and you know I can respect that would take some time but it still doesn't seem a lot more than a week or two's work
0:36:56and it's taken a really long time.
0:36:58Well that you know I don't I don't want to pick on you or anything because it's cool video.
0:37:02I always emotionally in times you know well first of all I have not been working on this for you here
0:37:10but that would be a really poor showing if that is like oh man you like you need some help.
0:37:17There are there are many things that are on my list which are in the cut and the back of my mind
0:37:25but it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm actively working on any of those projects I kind of keep my eyes open for
0:37:31interesting things that might go in the video for things that are on that list
0:37:36but it doesn't necessarily mean I'm actively working on them. But that's also why I think I think it was a Q.
0:37:41and A video as I did I mentioned that it's I estimate it's about ten hours per minute on screen to make the videos
0:37:48but that ignores a lot of this kind of unquantifiable time is sort of grazing
0:37:55and putting things away for a rainy day sort of. That's exactly it. Or I mean even just like we were talking.
0:38:00Here today like I spend I try to spend time reading every day. Does that count as work.
0:38:06On video I often pick books that are related to future topics that I'm going to do.
0:38:11Does that count you know I don't know I don't know how to quantify that amount of time
0:38:15or so yeah it's ultimately unknowable precisely how long it takes.
0:38:21But in terms of I am going to make an American empire video I think I really settled on that probably about three
0:38:33or four weeks before it got published.
0:38:35OK I was I was working on something else
0:38:39and then I had to kind of switch because I didn't the other thing I realized was not going to be out in time
0:38:45and so I thought OK I want something soon.
0:38:48And I settled on the America topic and I think I was about three or four weeks before. Well that was a cool video.
0:38:54Well done I enjoyed it. Thank you for making it and I'm glad you liked it. Are you unhappy with the video.
0:39:00I think would be fair to say whoa is me. This is terrible. My video is a mess it's going to be awful.
0:39:07You were kind of you thought it was going to be really bad.
0:39:11Yeah and when so when I watched it and it was really good I was like well well well I'm only you were doing.
0:39:24Well I think you were actually you know you were doing you were humble bragging I know it
0:39:29and you were telling me how terrible your video was and all the problems as I knew it was going to be really good.
0:39:34First of all even if that's what I was doing that's not humble bragging that's lowering expectations humble bragging is
0:39:40different
0:39:42but I do a humble checking to make any sense now I fumble jacking it's a word look at a point of addiction because I
0:39:51was humble jacking will be on urban dictionary before the day is that it's just just like I don't know if you if you
0:39:58saw it in time but.
0:40:00The Wikipedia briefly had Brady typing listed under the hunt
0:40:04and peck typing section there on their key article about keyboard typing and as of the hunt
0:40:10and peck typing also known as Brady typing
0:40:13and I think you can see in the history there was this little edit war back and forth about whether
0:40:16or not his term should be included
0:40:19and eventually the section for that article in Wikipedia had to be protected by a Modoc.
0:40:25Let's stop arguing about this Brady typing is not a thing. You are lowering expectations.
0:40:33That's what I was humoring you before.
0:40:37My sentiment was genuine
0:40:40and so forth for the listeners the background here is that you were trying to contact me we were possibly meeting up
0:40:45and you contacted me at the kind of need year of my moment of making this video which was I was at the very last minute
0:40:52very early in the morning on July third just wrapping up the animation trying to get it exported
0:40:58and uploaded to You Tube and because it was a rush job I was up late the night before
0:41:05and I was just genuinely very sad about this whole project because.
0:41:13Well he is here's the way into this my feelings were genuine and I still look at that video
0:41:19and I'm not very happy with it but I feel better about it now than I did at the time.
0:41:25First of all the fact that it's successful definitely helps.
0:41:28OK Other people like this so I can feel a little bit better about it
0:41:32but I think this is a great little time to talk about you can see the thing you brought up before the match is just off
0:41:40of handily but the notion of it's a good time to talk about the notion of brain crack
0:41:47and rain crack Do you know what I mean by brain crack. OK So sounds like a drug thing.
0:41:54Well it is sort of like a drug thing and some people know this just immediately this is.
0:42:00There's a frank ages ago when he was doing his Basically the thing that gave birth to modern blogs which is the show
0:42:10and actually Hank Green just did a blog where there's a video about the history of Internet video.
0:42:17I'll put the link in the show notes for people to check out this if you if you are a young person on the internet
0:42:23and want to hear like what it was like for us old timers for us grandpas to tell you stories about how the Internet was
0:42:29back in our day.
0:42:31Go watch this video by Hank Green he mentions the show and kind of why it was important and very influential
0:42:36and Frank also currently has a You Tube channel which is doing very well. Put that in the description as well.
0:42:41But the show I was lucky enough to have found it when it was active and I used to watch it all the time
0:42:49and one of the actually I would probably say his best episode is this episode where he talks about the notion of brain
0:42:56crack
0:42:57and it's a very useful thing to think about it the idea is that what can happen sometimes if you make things that you
0:43:06have an idea about a video. So in my case this American empire video.
0:43:13What can happen is over time if you don't actually work on that thing you you start to think about how good it will be
0:43:25as opposed to thinking about how am I going to get this thing done.
0:43:29OK As time goes on you're kind of abstract notion of how good this thing will be.
0:43:38It becomes very large and very outsized. Anything that could possibly happen.
0:43:45And I think this this American empire video is a case where I had a severe severe case of brain crack
0:43:54and didn't realize it until the video was kind of up and over.
0:44:00As well after I did that you can explain video there was there was a brief time I thought like oh this is just a one
0:44:07off thing and then I like Mike you can agree it was very by chance like I happened to make a couple more videos
0:44:13but I never really thought this would be a thing.
0:44:15But but once I settled on oh let me try to make these kind of regularly. The idea of doing the U.K.
0:44:22Explained version but for America it was just so obvious it just so happened that basically for a year
0:44:28and a half I never made it because there was always something else I want to make more
0:44:32but the result is this thing had been brain cracking in my mind for maybe a year and a half.
0:44:40So the result is when I actually sit down to make the thing it seems like nothing
0:44:45but awfulness because it's being compared to this abstract idea of how good it's going to be
0:44:52but you don't have any actual concrete thoughts about it it's just you know I don't know if you ever have this let's
0:44:58talk about dreams for a moment BRADY You know with my fave.
0:45:01I thought you had to talk I looked for a mustard so I don't know if you ever have this expense that you have
0:45:06or you wake up from a dream and you have the feeling either that something in your dream was really funny
0:45:14or like oh I had a really great idea in my dream. Do you ever have that experience. It doesn't ring a bell.
0:45:24I can either remember what was in my dream and therefore all the associated emotions or a giant I fell from my cup
0:45:33and just have a feeling very interesting.
0:45:35OK well I know some people do this anyway but not so you will be able to sympathize with this
0:45:41but I think I have this little theory that some sometimes I will wake up from a dream or
0:45:46or people of like why I had a really great idea in my dream but I can't remember what it was
0:45:50or something was really scary in my dream but I can't remember what it was when waking up with that kind of feeling
0:45:58and I have the suspicion that when that.
0:46:00And what's going on in your brain is the part of your brain that that recognizes good ideas
0:46:06or that recognizes something is funny is active even though there's no input to it it's just spinning so like you have
0:46:15this same feeling that you have when you have a great idea but there's nothing there.
0:46:21You're in the middle of your eight hour evening hallucination where that happens every day
0:46:27and I think the brain crack thing is a kind of similar phenomenon that happens like this thing is in your mind
0:46:32and what ends up happening is that you're not really thinking about oh how am I going to make this thing.
0:46:38What happens is just the abstract notion of how good it's going to be.
0:46:42It ended up in your brain
0:46:44and that Europe is really in Europe a zillion footballer imagining what it's going to be like to hold the World Cup
0:46:49aloft before you actually play the games required to win. Yes it's a sort of sort of and.
0:46:55So in the end is a frank video. Can I just interrupt my thanks chief it was a cold brain crack. Oh sorry.
0:47:04His idea is that if you're not careful you become addicted to the brain crack that like thinking about how good the
0:47:13thing is going to be becomes better then doing the thing and you know kind of like not doing it
0:47:19and this is where I was leading with his conclusion is that the way to break this addiction is
0:47:25when you have ideas in your mind is to just don't think about how good they are just make them as soon as you can
0:47:32and I think that's a useful notion and say you were locked up.
0:47:37If I was going to pick anyone in the world who doesn't follow that advice it's you.
0:47:41Well this is I don't follow that advice at all and it's partly because my production cycle is very long
0:47:46but nonetheless I find it a useful notion to keep in mind
0:47:51and I'm actually kind of glad that this thing happened because I'm working on something now that I will say I have
0:47:59basically been.
0:48:00Bring cracking for years this is a topic that I've been thinking about doing something on for a very very long time
0:48:07and it is a useful for me to remember because I want to try to get it up soon and I keep working on
0:48:16and feeling like this thing is just terrible
0:48:19but the America Empire video has reminded me like oh no note you know just make it.
0:48:26Don't concentrate on how bad you think it is because it is like an optical illusion going on here you've thought about
0:48:31it so long that you're not even really thinking about it you're just thinking about I want this thing to be great
0:48:37and it's a it's a topic that I'm intensely interested in and have been for many years
0:48:41and I've actually diverted us from talking about it sometimes on the podcast because I want to save it for after the
0:48:47video goes up so anyway that is that is that is brain cracked that is why I was terribly sad about the video
0:48:53and I feel better about it now even though I still don't like it it's not one of my favorites there you know where as
0:49:00with everything I wish I had had maybe two more weeks to really tighten it up
0:49:03and it feels very it feels very sloppy to me to say is that so funny to be ready. Yes.
0:49:11OK so we know she could probably tighten up that five or six minute video statutes already incredibly tough
0:49:17but now it is so sloppy so sloppy That's why I don't.
0:49:20But anyway that's I'm not saying you couldn't tighten that but I think it may take weeks.
0:49:26It's just a snippet a few words and shorten a few sentences.
0:49:35This episode of hello internet has been sponsored by the people at Harry's Now Harry is a business founded by two guys
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0:49:53or a Web site as those things are sometimes code where you can buy shaving kits
0:49:57and then refill the races online for us.
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0:50:40Fifteen bucks will get you a handle first blades and shaving cream and then you get your refills from there.
0:50:46I seriously think you'll be impressed by the product.
0:50:49Check him out online first there's lots of good pictures on the Web site you get a real feel for what it's like now at
0:50:54the moment I think they're only doing this in the U.S. and Canada.
0:50:58So if you're in Europe I'm afraid you're going to miss out.
0:51:00Or you might need to arrange some sort of intimate or eat or to smuggle them over here across the Atlantic.
0:51:07But I'm sure they will be servicing Europe St because a good product and I'm sure the demand will be there
0:51:12but I guess for now having a set here in Europe makes my bit of a collector's item.
0:51:16Maybe it's maybe it's worth something.
0:51:18Anyway go to Harry's dot com promo code H.-I five dollars of your order
0:51:25and thanks a lot to Harris for supporting the show we really appreciate it.
0:51:30The design of US state fakes interest me because I'm a real on the flags.
0:51:34Oh OK All right we're going to talk about this than I was I was looking at that
0:51:38and I thought oh here it is the worst thing to try to talk about on a podcast let me put up a voice up for talking
0:51:47about sex and flags and maps are two of my favorite things which is probably why I like your videos so much.
0:51:59OK I'm good. Going to send you a link through this guy he delivered.
0:52:06Opened a pair and they are being projected into my eyeballs.
0:52:12Piracy over current state flags I would like to know just just looking over them.
0:52:17What are your initial thoughts about this collection of flags What are your first impressions.
0:52:23My first impressions that there are a lot of red and blue moon I see a lot of British.
0:52:29What I perceive to be British British looking things to them.
0:52:39Well my impression is that some of them are very similar to each other and some of them are very different
0:52:47but most of them or most of them seem to be blue with a with a roundish logo in the middle.
0:52:55I feel like I'm supposed to be saying something that I'm not I know I know you are you are not letting me down.
0:53:00You would never let me down Brady and I'm just curious as to your initial impressions.
0:53:06Yeah I would say I'm just a bit overwhelmed
0:53:09but to give you any one impression not just a whole bunch of colorful flags I look at a page like this
0:53:17and this is just a train wreck of awful awful design I think maybe if I get it it's just it's hideous
0:53:30and they're not cohesive.
0:53:31But that's the beauty of it is that they kind of got a science story and each is disappointing in its own special way.
0:53:38I don't expect necessarily to be cohesive but I just I look at these these these state flags
0:53:45and it generally once son of Brad had to go and you have share in Pennsylvania are all quite good.
0:53:53I mean they're just good solid data to confirm first of all first of all have to help out the people here who are
0:53:59driving. In the car or can't look at the other one of the lines of course they're on a plane.
0:54:04Do you mention that on domestic flights now you know pay for the Internet.
0:54:08Look if you look at this train wreck of design look at the terrible thing that the U.S. State flags.
0:54:16It's disappointing it's because there's so much interesting potential squandered.
0:54:23These flags and almost all of them or an actual count of the the biggest chunk of the flags
0:54:32when you look they are blue and they have some boring and or ugly seal in the center.
0:54:40I like hey that's what I noticed so I was sort of on the right track. Yes. So Blue seals or seal in the center of blue.
0:54:49We've got it.
0:54:50Idaho Kansas Kentucky sort of Louisiana not exactly Maine Michigan Minnesota Montana Nebraska Nevada manages to make it
0:55:01even worse. New Hampshire New York my home state is so disappointing. New York.
0:55:08Now it is said he is trying to hold on wealth of North Dakota Oregon at least Oregon mixes up low
0:55:14but Pennsylvania Utah as well.
0:55:17Also disappointing showing there Utah Vermont Virginia
0:55:21and Wisconsin it's a whole bunch of flags that are just blue with a seal in the middle.
0:55:27OK So first of all just horrifically unoriginal
0:55:30or boring flags I look at something like let me open up here at the at the New York.
0:55:37It's OK for me to criticize my home state flag I don't make people upset over it if you're so the New York state flag
0:55:44is like so many others is particularly not great color blue either blue black background with a seal.
0:55:52There's two women standing on the other side of the Shield
0:55:56and The Shield for New York has a little picture of the Hudson River.
0:56:00And there's a sunrise over over the hill in the background. Trust me internet.
0:56:03It sounds so much nicer when I describe it than if you go look at it if you look at it I think it's hideous.
0:56:09The sun has a little face on it like it like a kindergartener drew the face.
0:56:14I don't understand why that's there I think it's it's just hideous. And think about this New York is the Empire State.
0:56:24How great is that as a state name. Right the Empire State.
0:56:28There's so much cool stuff that you could do with the New York flag.
0:56:32But here is a flag that just is an iconic and doesn't represent anything interesting about New York state
0:56:41and you know I know one lyric supposed to be iconic So it's not like people put the state flags on it it's not like the
0:56:48national flag I mean there are fifty of these things there are fifty of these things
0:56:53but I think you underestimate Americans attachment to their States of America.
0:56:58There's a little there's a little legal thing I left out of the U.S.
0:57:02Video but Americans are legally citizens of both their state
0:57:06and the federal government even though we don't have a passport or anything just for the state
0:57:10but it's a it's a legal level that does exist that you are a citizen of New York
0:57:16or whatever state you happen to live in and an American citizen.
0:57:20So I think that the state flags they should be iconic partly because you often see them all shown together.
0:57:30So I happen to often go by the U.S.
0:57:33Embassy here in London which is I'm going to give it the award for the most unfriendly most unwelcoming building in all
0:57:43of the U.K. The No two is a secure.
0:57:46You could call it describe it as you might call it secure
0:57:49but that building just telegraphs go away in every way it possibly can.
0:57:56Is that you look at the building and the building looks back and says. Go away. No no she's Betty.
0:58:02Yes and if you visit the USA embassy in London out in the front there are the fifty state flags
0:58:09and then they show them
0:58:10and interestingly for anyone who goes there I leave it as an exercise to the viewer to figure out why the flags are in
0:58:18the order that they are in. Outside of the London embassy it's interesting we'll touch anyway.
0:58:24Precisely because they're shown together they should be iconic.
0:58:28You should be able to say oh that's New York or that's New Jersey.
0:58:33But now so many of them I mean a person who we had to the uses of these flags professionally like
0:58:41when I make a video about them there's no way I could win a guessing game of which flag is who's for almost all of them.
0:58:48The just if you go fifty state flags over trying to be iconic
0:58:52and different from the one next to them wouldn't it just get crazy
0:58:55and you'd start having like you know a fluorescent pink triangular one with.
0:59:01OK a green alien on it just because you want to be different from the guy next to me.
0:59:05How can they be a little bit of an understatement.
0:59:07I mean everyone's business card looks the same
0:59:09but that's because business kinds of artists is classy little thing that in this car we have a little bit of
0:59:15information about that they're not they're not kind of you know supposed to scream Look at ME I'M AMAZING I'M iconic
0:59:20look at my stars and stripes they just like this.
0:59:22Understated moment of hey here's who I am buddy I mean but there are there are a lot there are awesome business cards.
0:59:30You've seen destines business cards that man has incredible business card OK You put me in a difficult situation now
0:59:37because you know I love destiny but I think having silly business is silly I think it depends on who you are
0:59:46and of I am not a fan of novelty.
0:59:50I know I like a bit of the old fashion class and I think these old flags these nice blue flags with the Lakers on them.
1:00:00And Justin's business card by the way is not a business card it's more of a joke thing they're a fun thing he gives to
1:00:05fan so I'm not dissing destines business
1:00:08but I think state flags like I think have a be a class you don't have to scream the loudest
1:00:16and say look at me you know I'm different from all the others why not just say hey I'm just cool calm guy with a class
1:00:23not all right all right.
1:00:24Here's the thing I think that you can design a cool calm classy flag
1:00:31but I think none of these flags meet this requirement either. I think they're all just kind of hideous.
1:00:36None of them are a single test
1:00:39and one of Alabama because I guarantee he's going to get in touch better than flag No I love the state.
1:00:44All right hold on let me let me let me take a look I don't think I was actually going to ask before I left.
1:00:51All right was it that if you had to pick the best flag on here what would you Carrick And I from my perspective there
1:00:58is only one decision to make you're one of these flags is great and it obviously stands out from the best.
1:01:06And now I'm hoping that you pick it. I like Alaska I like it.
1:01:14Oh look a few of them I mean fit for iconic ness Texas does well but I quite like those blue ones with.
1:01:28I definitely don't like Maryland. I'm sure I like the looks of them.
1:01:36Alaska is my favorite because God Constellation on the Big Dipper one of the well you know there's a lot there are a
1:01:45lot there's a few I don't like. California's pretty Co I mean I like the ones I guess I'm most familiar with.
1:01:53And they invariably are the big famous states are and then put me out of my misery. OK if you have.
1:02:00You line up all the flags and say which of these is the best flag I think.
1:02:04No contest hands down number one winner goes to the great state of New Mexico New Mexico has the best flag by far
1:02:14and for the listener it is a yellow background
1:02:19and it's this red the symbol which is just sort of I don't know how to describe it sort of it's like a cross like a
1:02:26like a little plus sign in the center but it's let me describe it for you then.
1:02:30OK you have it looks like a corporate flag of a company that produces chemicals know how wrong it looks so in fact if I
1:02:38was going to name one that I didn't like that would be on the list.
1:02:41We had looks like it looks like it's got a corporate lawyer.
1:02:44It doesn't look like it's from the past from history it looks like a belongs to some company called Synergy three
1:02:49thousand now.
1:02:51Now New Mexico number one in my book I would say that that the that the logo in the center is the only native american
1:02:59looking where I'm sure it's got a lovely story behind it.
1:03:04I mean we're going to have we're going to disagree
1:03:05and you know me I don't care at all about the history of these things I just care about how it looks.
1:03:09It's my you know it's it's funny you picked out.
1:03:12I'll pick another one that you that you mentioned that you mentioned Maryland as being terrible.
1:03:17We're going to disagree on high and love the Maryland flag but I that it outright.
1:03:22Right right but I love the particular reason so again for the listener the Maryland flag.
1:03:29It is objective Lee hideous I think you would agree right.
1:03:33Do you know what I'm really reluctant to say too much of this stuff because we're going to find out now it's like it
1:03:38was designed by some.
1:03:39Oh so if you're out driving back pedaling don't start backpedaling Listen I'm just worried that I don't know the
1:03:44stories in there I don't know who you are and listen to this in a moment like this.
1:03:49Just double down on confidence and your ignorance. Fredricka is going to go with your plan straight ahead.
1:03:56OK So Marilyn I love your flag and here the reason why. It is hideous.
1:04:00So it's divided into quadrants on the top left in the top right or sort of red and white crosses
1:04:07but that they're colored in a strange way
1:04:11and on the on the opposite corner are the completely uncolored matched yellow
1:04:15and black checkers that are also skewed at an angle.
1:04:20I think there is nobody you could show the Maryland flag to who their first reaction wouldn't be this terrible plight.
1:04:28But here's a pile of the America that the Maryland flag to me is one of these things in life sometimes something is so
1:04:34hideous it like wraps around the spectrum of like we imagine this line is like good and bad.
1:04:42Like an old fashioned video games where if you go too far to one side you end up popping back up on the other side
1:04:48and to me that's not the flag of Maryland has accomplished I don't think they have quite wrapped around him
1:04:54and if it's so awful that I totally love it never change Maryland has been just the greatest.
1:05:03Have you ever seen the strength in state flags.
1:05:07Actually I don't know if we have I don't know if I knew this because this would disappoint you even more.
1:05:12I don't know if I feel like I might have
1:05:15but I don't remember them off the top of my head having to scroll down to states and mainland territories.
1:05:21National Governors States and mainland territories
1:05:25and ignore the two that are a bit different because they're not states anyway. Is a C.T. In the Northern Territory.
1:05:31So ignore them or just look at the other six.
1:05:33OK OK it's the same thing over the same thing repeated
1:05:37and I like that I now do uniformity NOW NOW NOW NOW for the listener again what we have here for the Australian states
1:05:47is you know the U.K.
1:05:50Flag that's in the top left as it is in so many flags the rest of the flag is blue
1:05:56and then each of the states has a little. Different seal that's in the kind of other half of the of the flag.
1:06:04No what it what have we got here one of one of them is like the with the George lying with the cross
1:06:10and I have a crown and a Blue Cross we have what looks like what is it a crow
1:06:14or some kind of bird on a yellow background.
1:06:17That's my state that censorious out of trying to ensure that a piping Shrike piping Shrike means just what it is that
1:06:27we have a lion on a white circle and then we have a cancellation and a crown
1:06:32and oh sorry sorry wasn't Western Australia almost forgot you. We have a black swan on the yellow circle.
1:06:38So I say basically this is the same thing over
1:06:40and over again with a slight tweak each time does this offend you if you aren't good I give two thumbs up to Australia
1:06:47because if you're going to do something like this be consistent about it
1:06:52and I would have no problem with the American states if they all did something similar where they OK everybody OK
1:06:57everybody we're going to get on board and we're going to have a basic template
1:07:01and everybody does a variation on that template and that that I would be one hundred percent OK with
1:07:07but I think that the American states are just the worst because even the ones that look similar they've all chosen a
1:07:14different colour blue and it's all it's like guys use the same blue don't use slightly different blues
1:07:21and that the seals are all different sizes and it's just I cannot tell you.
1:07:28When I hear a little detail for people who really obsessively watch the videos.
1:07:34The when I so when I make the country girls I have to take the flag in kind of fitted onto the skirt
1:07:43and the skirt is a triangle.
1:07:45Now you would not believe how poorly almost every flag in the world maps onto a triangle you need to make more videos
1:07:53about Nepal. I don't know I shouldn't. I think in the pub and Paul I would just.
1:08:00Might just change the shape of the skirt I think is what I would do for that would be cocoa
1:08:05but it's surprisingly hard to take a flag
1:08:08and shrink it down so that it is still identifiable in a triangular shape because all the mags are designed to be a
1:08:13rectangle and I usually spend some time trying to figure out the way to make it look the best
1:08:19and one of the things that I do if you pay a lot of attention is your nose a lot of the flags are kind of off centered
1:08:25from the from the triangle I think they end up looking a lot better when they're just a little bit knocked one way
1:08:31or another which also causes tremendous problems for me and animating it
1:08:33but that the Side Story I don't I think are getting some insight into what it takes so many weeks you have just come
1:08:39out. I do not want to know how many hours I spent trying to make the state girl's skirts not look just disastrous.
1:08:55And on a bunch like on the New York one I zoomed in all the way to get rid of almost the entirety of the flag
1:09:00and just focus on this little bit with the Hudson River or they just were just so awful
1:09:05and that's why this is on my mind as I was like I was dealing with a horrible design of the state flags
1:09:10and then like oh how can I tried to make them look good
1:09:13and it was just there was just one of the things I just going to keep going on this I'm sorry. Looking at the flags.
1:09:21If you're designing a flag for whatever.
1:09:25And you give it to me for feedback like I'm greeting it like I'm the teacher here if you have to write the name of your
1:09:33thing on your flag. Instant fail. Instant fail. Just I'm sorry Montana.
1:09:41That seal might be really nice but if you have to write Montana up across the top fail Oklahoma Oklahoma.
1:09:48You're so close to a kind of awesome flag I mean you need to change the blue background obviously
1:09:52but your central logo is great but then you're right Oklahoma across the bottom fail state of Oregon fail. Ah.
1:10:00Kansas sale Illinois failing high school things don't know enough and they look at the Arkansas fail.
1:10:10Ice just that instant fell and what one of the ones one of the ones which is it just hurts me deeply.
1:10:18California California. Man you're so close to awesome with this flag.
1:10:24But then you have to write the California Republic across the bottom
1:10:29and I know I know you want to do this because you were for about a week you were a republic sort of depending on how
1:10:35you want to count that. And so you want to have that there.
1:10:37I understand but you know what you also have you've got a huge bear on your flag right.
1:10:43Go with the bear and make the bear bigger make the bear is scarier. But then you're a California Republican.
1:10:50Cross the bottom is just. So close like it's going to go American in America.
1:10:56They does what it says on the tin with America like they're not there's no there's no subtlety Oh go now there's none
1:11:03of that right you haven't got USA written on your leg. Well that's exactly it I imagine.
1:11:07Like if some of these state designers had made the American flag it would just say USA Stars
1:11:15and Stripes everywhere it would be written like the means are with impact font you know maybe an exclamation mark
1:11:22and then like many of these states do they also have to write the date to say USA seven hundred seventy six for ever
1:11:29write like exclamation marks. That's what if that's what it would be and it's just I don't know if it makes me sad.
1:11:38So some of them are the ones I don't know of Wisconsin as well as constant eight hundred forty eight one the ones that
1:11:46really get me are the ones that are so close like the California one it bothers me more because it's almost great
1:11:52and I feel the same way with Wyoming. Take a look at Wyoming flag. Wyoming has a.
1:12:00American buffalo in the middle has a nice bold colors it's got the red and the blue and white
1:12:05or the red border with a white border and then a mainly blue. OK nice mixing it up.
1:12:10Looks a little bit good it's like a picture frame and you have the American Buffalo right in the center.
1:12:15Outlined very cool and you have to ruin it by like cramming in this seal which says the great state of Wyoming.
1:12:24No one can look at that flag
1:12:26and not immediately think I'll be so much better if they just took out the seal how iconic would this be how cool is
1:12:31this you have an American buffalo I'm your flag. Really what's happened here.
1:12:35And actually this is what's happened in most of these flags you can tell is they're suffering from being designed by
1:12:41committee.
1:12:43It's like someone has said I'm not voting for if I hasn't got a sale and someone said Oh
1:12:48but it's so good with just the buffalo clean and yeah that now that is exactly
1:12:52and someone has said we have to have California written on it and the bad guys gone.
1:12:56Now I know that this coat sleeve the bear and the other guy's going you know I'm really proud of the name and
1:13:02and that's where a lot of ace of stuff it's been a group of people who've been required to approve it.
1:13:07I mean what I want to ones also I have I have.
1:13:13Let me start over there just as we could do a house show that the state thinks well I'm going to keep going because I
1:13:22am as you are because you can't be stopped. I give it up and I'll do the edit. Yes it's true.
1:13:28Also it's the ones that I just again I'm deeply disappointed in Utah Utah can you so if you tied blue as a seal on it.
1:13:39Now one of the things I like with flags is we think OK could you could you could you have picked a worse topic for a
1:13:45podcast that we're going to heat the house but no one could say these things and then
1:13:50when you do these things well so hopefully many people right now are bunking off work
1:13:55and they just have the wikipedia article for the state flags open so they can follow along.
1:14:00OK your flag should be immediate immediately identifiable It is my rule for this
1:14:05and Utah because of its kind of its history it has the beehive
1:14:12and this notion of industry as a kind of central themes of the state as is like OK OK that's great. Go with the B.S.
1:14:20Right make your flag about bees or industry like it's very easy to imagine in dust like an industrious image
1:14:27but no shrink is down so it's so small and it's just barely in the logo and at a glance you can't possibly tell it
1:14:34and then you think it's just eight hundred ninety six written across the bottom like are just B.S.
1:14:40You tied in great like that like there's state highways it has little beehive as logo.
1:14:45It just seems it seems I don't have to throw in this giant eagle an American giant as like to hide the thing that makes
1:14:52them unique. Double down on your uniqueness and just go with these flags.
1:14:57I mean your wanting to design a modern corporate logo here. You know thinking flag you're thinking corporately owned.
1:15:03OK OK Here's here's an example I'm going to go if you mention Texas before something you like.
1:15:08Yeah so the Texas state law I feel like everyone would know it because it is so iconic
1:15:12but it's blue bar on the left hand side white star and then two stripes the top one is white and the bottom one is red.
1:15:20Now I'm one hundred percent great with Texas.
1:15:26It's but it's a it's an abstract flag
1:15:29but it's the kind of thing where you can because it's abstract you can map your feelings of Texas onto it at that
1:15:37but that's a different way to go. And Texas is a state with an incredibly strong identity anyway.
1:15:43People have a mental image of what Texas is.
1:15:46And you then project your feelings onto that Texas flag and you can do so because it's a relatively abstract flag.
1:15:54And I actually feel the same way like I think a similar kind of flag is. Right next door to it is a flag for Tennessee.
1:16:02Mostly red the blue circle in the center three white stars and a little blue stripe on the side.
1:16:08Again that is abstract and so Tennessee that you can project your feelings about Tennessee onto that flag
1:16:15and that flag is also it's identifiable in a way that so many of these these SEAL flags are not with us in Alaska was
1:16:23my favorite. Tell me why I'm wrong all right. I'm OK with Alaska. I'm fine with it.
1:16:32I don't I don't have any problems there.
1:16:34It's definitely it's definitely I don't you know I should i should I should feel what I should actually do is genuinely
1:16:43sit down and great all the flags. Rank them in a list.
1:16:47I couldn't I don't know if I could rank them except obviously for New Mexico the winner.
1:16:51But I should I should at least try to group them. Who gets who gets aides who gets B.'s who gets fees.
1:16:57I feel like Alaska is solid B. Maybe B. Plus you know I know and everybody with words. F F immediately.
1:17:07So you're giving California an F. I'll keep California but I think you have to think about that I don't know.
1:17:20I'm making no promises here
1:17:22but I love that you're so passionate about it I love flags I love so if I wasn't who couldn't I hadn't I had the flags
1:17:28of all the countries in the world.
1:17:30Unlike a poster right next to my bed and I go to sleep every night when I was a boy
1:17:35and it had the flag the name of the country and the capital of the country
1:17:39and I spent so many hours just staring at that it's a lot of it is still quite ingrained on Mark.
1:17:45Whenever there's like a flag section on a quiz show or something.
1:17:50I was surprised myself by how many fags I can identify just like from from from boyhood couldn't look at them anymore.
1:17:58But how many of them were just him. Printed into my brain from that process.
1:18:02Oh yeah
1:18:03and I think one of the reasons why I feel so passionate about this is I think that a flag is a really interesting
1:18:09design challenge.
1:18:11You know how how do you want to go how are you going to represent your nation
1:18:18or you know some cities have flags How are you going to represent your city
1:18:23and what are you going to do in this in this limited space
1:18:27and there's a lot that you can do with either going along with expectations
1:18:32or breaking expectations like the flag that have crazy shapes or I think there's just so much here
1:18:40and it's really interesting
1:18:42and there's so much potential which is not a finite thing that we think these are so important
1:18:47and yet in a previous episode when I discuss sort of the symbolism
1:18:50and importance of people's surnames to them you completely don't get it.
1:18:56And yet flags these abstract things attach to states you know compete you know going to stop you talking about you
1:19:02can't you putting words in my mouth which is important. Does it is this is this an important issue.
1:19:12I mean obviously the hideous way that most of the states have left their flags for hundreds of years.
1:19:17Signify that this is not on the top of their importance list.
1:19:21So it's hard to say that it's important and I wouldn't say that but that's why I used the word interesting.
1:19:29I think this is this is very this is very interesting how to how to solve this problem in Arizona.
1:19:39I think good job Arizona like that no I don't Arizona the stars with the with the sunshine coming out of it the oh how
1:19:48could I how I would I would go amiss if I didn't mention this the flag of Hawaii you know my my wife is from Illinois.
1:19:54So I have to mention this. The flag of Hawaii I put in the same category.
1:20:00As the flag of Maryland which is kind of hideous but also wraps around into you know what I like it
1:20:08and the the Hawaii flag also has the U.K.
1:20:11Flag in the top left and then it has six stripes red white and blue again but
1:20:19when you look at the British flag does not line up with the stripes if you are a person who has tremendous O.C.D.
1:20:26This is not a flag for you.
1:20:27These things do not align in any way
1:20:30but I think that also wraps around I like the the flag of Hawaii I also think it's it's at least in this crowd a very
1:20:37identifiable as always in the sense that it certainly stands out on the page.
1:20:41Yes and it's a different it's a different aspect ratio. But seriously we're going to move on right now.
1:20:50Today sponsor is audible dot com a leading provider of spoken audio information and entertainment.
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1:20:58Bill has more than one hundred fifty thousand audio books for you to choose from so it's up to me to help you pick one
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1:21:05And this week I'm going to recommend a book called so good they can't ignore you by Cal Newport's I'm picking this book
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1:21:17And so I'm imagining that there are some listeners who are hearing the sound of my voice right now who have just
1:21:24graduated from college and this book is a book about how to build a career that you will actually like.
1:21:31Now the usual advice that you hear which is total nonsense is that you should just follow your passion
1:21:37and find something that you're passionate about and then just magic happens and your life is awesome
1:21:43but I mean the whole track of advice is just terrible and so good they can't ignore you.
1:21:48Goes through and show you why that is just absolute terrible advice.
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1:22:49internet. All one word. If you have been you have been productive. You also wrote a blog recently.
1:22:57Oh yeah it's cold I have died many times. Yes and it was interesting.
1:23:06Very kind of it's not really it was something I would necessarily expect from you in some ways I don't mean to put you
1:23:11on the spot here but I would speak.
1:23:12How how would you try to summarize this for the listener what would you say that this is about.
1:23:19It's same today the message saying today that we away as humans we are always changing over time.
1:23:30Physically and mentally and the person you were sometime ago is completely different from the person you are now
1:23:39and that person shouldn't be considered the same as you and they're like you can't you can't judge them
1:23:47or compare them to the person you are now it's like a whole different person. Is that right.
1:23:53Yeah I think this is sort of the gist of it. One of the thing I'm not sure but it does have a fee.
1:24:00So has a few flaws maybe doesn't have flaws. It's a nice thought but it does beg a few questions.
1:24:04Oh I think it definitely definitely back some question this is something that I have I have found true in the way that
1:24:11I think about myself
1:24:13and I think that it is it's a useful tool for other people to keep in mind which is that you are not.
1:24:22It's useful to think of yourself as not the same person that you were
1:24:29and the easy way to think of this is as the the like the child version of you said I think the kid who went to middle
1:24:38school. He's not you know he's someone who became you.
1:24:45But for a lot of practical purposes you are basically different people.
1:24:51If there is enough time separating the two of you and I threw out a number just because I needed to pick a number
1:24:59but I kind of feel like.
1:25:03Basically if you go back ten years that's a long enough period of time that you are a different person from that person.
1:25:14And I'm I start out the article by using this example where my wife and I we were having dinner
1:25:20and we realized that we had known each other for ten years at that point.
1:25:25And as we discussed it we said like we feel that the people who met both of us have changed a lot
1:25:35and that we're we are not really those people anymore.
1:25:38We feel kind of grateful to them because their decisions led to our current life. But we don't feel like we are them.
1:25:48We feel like we are we are different people especially since eventually we got married
1:25:53and then you end up you if you start affecting each other in a way that you were different people before
1:25:58and now you're married and so you. You naturally affect each other to people your personalities.
1:26:04But even if you don't get married just living life going on in life there's a constant change that's happening
1:26:12sometimes fast sometimes it's slow
1:26:15but I think people sometimes get it get hampered by thinking of themselves as a continuous person I just think has a
1:26:25hamper them. What problems does it cause if you think in that way. Well yeah you're right there.
1:26:35Well OK OK one of the one of the I would say what prompted me to write this is something has been on my mind for a long
1:26:43time and and is this this thing that I saw with my students
1:26:51and I was really aware of his being different from my own life which is that the kids I taught all grew up in a world
1:26:57with with Facebook and I swear I'm not going to pull like a grandpa.
1:27:01Get off my lawn moment here this is this is just a wondering thing I'm not saying this is bad I'm just saying I wonder.
1:27:09But but so like the high school kids are taught
1:27:12when they went to college they were still very much connected to their previous life.
1:27:19They were still very much connected to all of their friends they knew in high school
1:27:23and in a way that was not possible because of technological differences.
1:27:28When I went to college I mean I might as well have have been traveling across the country.
1:27:34I just nobody I knew from high school went to the same college that I did
1:27:38and I just wonder about this if this is fact where with things like Facebook that people end up kind of carrying around
1:27:51ambient influences from their former selves in unhelpful ways. And one of the one of the things that came.
1:28:00When the discussion on Reddit which I thought was a good example was people talking about how
1:28:05when they like grown adults when they go back
1:28:07and visit their parents for holidays that they feel themselves like sliding back into the role of what they were like
1:28:18when they were younger I don't know do you experience this.
1:28:26I try I don't I don't know why I think I wouldn't describe how you described it but it is different.
1:28:33It is definitely when you go back to places of your childhood a strange sensation.
1:28:40Yes I remember you know I I go into lots of environments you know that maybe should be intimidating that I come to
1:28:48and intimidating to me no.
1:28:49But when I went back to my old school recently I felt physically nervous going there
1:28:56and I can't explain why it was a really anxious experience. Also probably because school is a time of great anxiety.
1:29:04There are things that are always do
1:29:05and the threat of the principal's office looms constant ninety percent of the divine I remember.
1:29:11I don't mean the scolding anxious experience but I feel anxious going back there.
1:29:16Yeah yeah I mean there are differently when you go back to your old haunts you get strange feelings beyond nostalgia.
1:29:23So there is something going on. Yeah and I know I experienced this a couple times when.
1:29:29I mean basically after after I went to college I very.
1:29:33I have very rarely been back to the place where I grew up and that's why I didn't have a bad childhood or anything
1:29:41but I'm on the couple of occasions when I went back I was very much aware of
1:29:46and did not like this feeling of like somebody else grew up here and I'm not that person anymore
1:29:56and I don't really I don't really want to. Here time is time to go.
1:30:04I'm not and I'm just very very strange very strange influence.
1:30:10Let's say I sometimes run across people who seem very past oriented.
1:30:17And there are people who are grown adults
1:30:23but who still end up kind of framing events in their life through the lens of their childhood experiences I think is
1:30:33the most common version of this that I see.
1:30:36Can you give us a practical example of a benefit for example people saying things like Oh I am I was in a very popular
1:30:46kid in high school
1:30:47and then kind of viewing all of their adult interactions in the same way feeling like oh I was always just the
1:30:54unpopular kid and.
1:30:58I feel like I have died many article Times article as it is a bit like you don't always have to be the person that you
1:31:07were. If you don't you don't always have to be where you are from.
1:31:14The change is possible and constant looking back is bad.
1:31:20I think you look you look forward in your life and things things in your past can positively affect your future.
1:31:27But they are done they are over and they only have the amount of importance that you continue to give them.
1:31:36And so if you're looking back you're constantly reinforcing the importance of things.
1:31:44And if it's something positive that you want to carry forward into the future that's fine
1:31:49but I don't know if I feel like people have kind of invisible anchors that keep them being the person that they always
1:31:56were. And maybe I feel too.
1:32:00More strongly because I had such a sharp break going to college and maybe it's a little too personal
1:32:06but as an example as like I was not in high school a very popular kid and but I was lucky
1:32:14and I had a little group of friends but I wasn't like most teenagers I like a very mopey person.
1:32:20I was not someone probably people would want to be around and I remember very well
1:32:27when I went to my college orientation which was like preparing we're not starting college isn't starting now
1:32:33but it's starting in the future so we go to orientation.
1:32:36I remember very strongly going to orientation and looking around and realizing like oh. Nobody here knows who I am.
1:32:47It's also means nobody has any reason to care about me like my friends from high school we've known each other for a
1:32:57long time and so there's there's like an intrinsic caring there but
1:33:00when you just show up to college nobody knows you you have to learn really fast how to not be like a mopey miserable
1:33:09person that people don't want to be around.
1:33:13Yeah
1:33:13and in some ways like what what what it what that does is it's like look you have spent your whole life being one way
1:33:21and things are changing and like you have to let go of that now that person
1:33:25and all of their reactions has to just be gone.
1:33:28And for me that was a very very positive experience and I had a similar kind of thing happen again sort of
1:33:34when I moved to London
1:33:36and it was a sense that I'm intentionally choosing to move to a place I don't know anyone at all
1:33:42and it's kind of a break with the past again and it's like OK we're going to move forward
1:33:48and I did it first that's a good for that but yeah changing schools and changing things
1:33:54and the way that they Yeah yeah I am good in that huge. We in favor of these kinds of fresh starts.
1:34:02But I think it's like it's like a value multiplier if you consciously think of it as I am a different
1:34:11or I can be a different person. You know I don't have to be the person that I always was.
1:34:17And this this just naturally happens
1:34:19and I the thing I speculate about a little bit in the article is is I worry about kids these days growing up
1:34:26and kind of always having immediate access to the circle of friends they happen to have when
1:34:32when they just grew up wherever they grew up.
1:34:35I wonder if that has a bit of a dampening effect
1:34:38or just even even for adults as you know there's this kind of affected everybody knows on online
1:34:48and social media which is as more and more people in your life follow you so just.
1:34:53OK First of all it's just a small group of friends and then it's friends and then some family and then some family
1:34:58and some co-workers and then suddenly like on Facebook the classic thing like your Facebook friends with your mom
1:35:05and your boss. Yeah. Suddenly you're very constrained and. If you don't it just it changes your actions.
1:35:14If you're constantly thinking about all of these people in your life I don't know I think maybe I was wandering off a
1:35:21little bit far here
1:35:22but you know I mean I I mean I'm still friends with some people from SCO you know who are very dear to me
1:35:29and you know we're still good friends but there's a whole bunch obviously
1:35:31but I've also just completely lost touch with.
1:35:33Yeah I'm not that long ago I kind of shared a contact with some school people partly because it was a reunion going on
1:35:39and partly just curiosity you know within the FI wakes it was like you know I wish them over all the best in the world
1:35:48and I'm sure they're great people with amazing lives and much happier than me perhaps
1:35:54but they would just like complete strangers to me it was like did I even know these people.
1:36:00Yes things they're saying
1:36:01and doing in the life they're leading it was like oh my goodness it's just like Congress becoming friends with complete
1:36:06and utter strangers who just happen to know my name and I sort of and in the end kind of drifted away from that
1:36:13and realize that wasn't probably how I should be using Facebook and I don't do it anymore
1:36:19but it was a first for a while it was a strange experience it was like you know I could never go to a school reunion I
1:36:25think for that reason. MAN Yeah. I've been I've been invited to school reunions and I feel the same way.
1:36:32I wish everybody I went to school with great lives. I hope they're all doing well.
1:36:38I can't imagine ever going to reunion for the similar reason that it is like a stranger Party is basically what it is.
1:36:48From my perspective we have all changed so much that we are fundamentally different.
1:36:54And now this is just an arbitrary gathering of people whose past people used to knew each other.
1:37:01Practice like that's not why it's very very strange. So yes I have not gone to my high school ever intend to.
1:37:12I think this is why I found you I have died many times article quite strange experience to rate I've only read it once
1:37:19to be fast you know close enough. Well you have a baby.
1:37:23Maybe I've kind of you know I skim skim read too much
1:37:26but it was a strange mix of what I would expect for me a kind of a very logical thinking
1:37:32and you know a logical argument about the way we should think and progress in life
1:37:38but another part of it seemed a kind of new agey and you know the old me and the new me and I have died
1:37:44and it was kind of a little not religious but it was kind of a little bit new agey is the way I would describe it
1:37:52and it didn't it didn't seem like the sort of things I would expect from you.
1:37:56Yeah funny this is this was also a thing where.
1:38:00I've been thinking about this article for a while and I thought let me just write it
1:38:03and have many many disappointments with it and one of it one of it is the kind of language
1:38:08and how do you express these thoughts
1:38:11and not a new age kind of person I know I can totally understand it from reading the article it can kind of sound a bit
1:38:19new agey but I don't know I have been thinking very consciously for years in terms of days past me and Future Me
1:38:27and those present me and I find that very useful
1:38:31but it's sometimes hard to express in in writing in a way that doesn't seem dumb.
1:38:38I don't know if there's anything I can nation A or something.
1:38:41Yeah I mean yeah I was a reincarnation either I mean that's you get that.
1:38:45But and I want to boil down to it I have this feeling like.
1:38:50The only you know the only you you have is like present you and pasturage doesn't exist anymore
1:38:59and President you can just make decisions for future you
1:39:06but it is also very helpful to consider future you as though he's a different person. So what.
1:39:14What decisions would you make on behalf of a different person who you don't know yet who you don't know
1:39:23and they wouldn't I wouldn't bother too much about them.
1:39:26But but the catch is you are going to eventually be that person like you
1:39:30or you have to make decisions for a future you could like a different person
1:39:36but you will subjectively experience their life
1:39:39and in this case you're probably understanding why I thought this whole thing was making this in the most not new agey
1:39:46way possible but yet it does it does sound this way
1:39:49and this is also one of the reasons why it's you know again my my my wife and I talk about this because
1:39:59when you were married.
1:40:00You talk about long term decisions for your life and we're very conscious sometimes of
1:40:08when you make long term decisions.
1:40:10Don't try to presume that you will know all of the preferences of you from in ten years from now and
1:40:19and so I think that that is helpful sometimes especially when you can see like irreversible decisions.
1:40:26You know if you want to be careful about not necessarily presuming that the future you are going to be exactly like the
1:40:32current You
1:40:32and I talk about in the article is like is there anything you would agree on with the teenager version of you I mean I
1:40:39think I might strangle to death the teenage version of me if I ever met.
1:40:43You're so irritating just just shut up I think.
1:40:48Take your current Me and future Mayo share the same views on how the rest cashew nuts
1:40:56but I don't feel like I could order a big can of honey roasted cashews that's for future may and he'd be pretty good.
1:41:06Well yes that's what and this is the one thing that I was entirely unable to communicate in the article
1:41:11and is this notion of I don't mean to imply that the future is a totally different person like it
1:41:20but it's a hard to write an article that expresses both of these thoughts at the same time you know like there are
1:41:25things that can be the same
1:41:27and it's actually funny because shortly after I publish this I happened to be talking to my parents on video chat
1:41:35and they say a word.
1:41:40This is again this is one of these things where I feel this most strongly sometimes like my parents will show me some
1:41:45picture of me as a kid and they'll be like oh look at you here and I feel like I'm not sure that's me.
1:41:51That's like larval me you know this person grew up to be me but he's not me.
1:41:57They were my parents were saying how they go oh you know.
1:42:00It's so interesting to have seen you grown up and that that from their perspective.
1:42:07They say oh adult me is just like the childhood version of me.
1:42:11From their perspective it seems like I'm the same person
1:42:15but they say they're just like I'm just more of what I was as a kid.
1:42:18Now that I'm a grown up and you know my own subjective experience is is very much different from that.
1:42:26So it's interesting it's interesting to see that sometimes
1:42:30but I don't know that there's any Well my people can decide what I think about what you said
1:42:35and that's read the article for themselves. So I'm sure you put a link in the show next.
1:42:40Yes And I said I'm trying to portray this as a useful framework.
1:42:47There's something in your life that you want to change in a in a positive way.
1:42:51I think this is this is a useful mental framework to keep in mind
1:42:55and that's that's kind of why it's kind of why I wrote it.
1:42:58But yes I think it's it's going to I'm not sure it's the clearest but it's there anyway. So that's that.
1:43:08So you've got here something in the next about democracy three and I have no idea what that Eva Mendes.
1:43:13So I break this might bore you to tears
1:43:15but now I'll talk more about the flag so you don't you cut me off with the flag that was that was that was just because
1:43:25I want to watch the World Cup later on
1:43:26and I thought if I didn't stop you really would we would talk more about Flags In other words democracy three.
1:43:33Democracy three is a video game that I had of my i Pad And this is it's a video that's why I warned you you're going to
1:43:41be hard
1:43:41but I think I would actually be pleased about that I thought it was going to be some boring kind of you know paper
1:43:47someone had written about the future of democracy in games potentially is more interesting.
1:43:52Potentially from a bout of the rethink so this was I had this with a game I had saved for after my last.
1:44:00Video so many American video went up I was like OK for any little bit of downtime what am I going to do
1:44:05and this was on my list to try this one next.
1:44:08And now this game is the most perfect example of what I said before I tend to play games that are basically work
1:44:19and this game game is in quotation marks. It is basically a spreadsheet is the way to describe this game in game form.
1:44:28So his his is not Wouldn't people normally think of and it's a it's a country simulator
1:44:34and you are elected as president of a country that Australia Canada the U.K.
1:44:40There's a bunch of different ones that you can pick.
1:44:42Can you redesign the flag or are you stuck with what I've got now you stuck with what they've got
1:44:48and put a screen shot up a link to the game actually in the description
1:44:52but also put a link to the screenshot for just people who want to take a look at it. We get in close to the game.
1:44:59All it is is a whole list as a whole picture of bubbles each of which represents either some kind of problem in your
1:45:07country or some kind of law in your country and you can click on the bubbles
1:45:13and then you can adjust the effects of the law.
1:45:17So for example you can set the taxation rates higher
1:45:21or lower you can say am I going to have corporation tax is there going to be a cigarette tax.
1:45:27Are we going to have a National Health Service how much are we going to fund it how much are we going to fund the
1:45:32military all the rest of this and there is there must be two hundred things that you can pick from
1:45:38and all of them have effects on the voters in this pretend country here so there's a basic premise.
1:45:47What made me kind of laugh out loud is it puts you in a scenario where you have to think very differently
1:45:53and it's one of the reasons why I really like videogames as a kind of cultural thing. There's plenty of mindless game.
1:46:00Like Call of Duty I'm just trying to kill all the foreigners in a horrible way like Call of Duty games are terrible.
1:46:06You shooting people but they can be kind of interesting tools
1:46:12and democracy three is set up in a way so that basically there's almost nothing you that you can do that's not going to
1:46:21frustrate some people the way you say you move the slider and it affects the voters
1:46:26and non-linear ways it's like impossible to try to balance everything
1:46:30and you put into all of these no win situations where you just you just can't make everybody happy
1:46:37and that doesn't make it a video like that. You're never going to make everybody happy.
1:46:43But so the thing about it is that made me laugh I realize I'm playing the game
1:46:47and you have to try to keep the budget balanced so that there are these big things that you're trying to do to keep the
1:46:54country on track let's not default on our debt. Let's not have crime just go crazy in the streets.
1:47:00But there's a million other policies just like in the real world that people care about and.
1:47:07I'm playing the game immediately. Immediately your mind goes toward God you know group X. The unions are unhappy.
1:47:16How do you find yourself doing immediately.
1:47:18What is some token issue that I can just throw in there a way to make them happy.
1:47:24That basically doesn't really affect anything.
1:47:26You can search for that this is exactly right like is there some is there something that I can do in this game to just
1:47:34make Group X. Happy. That doesn't really affect my budget in any any meaningful way.
1:47:41Annotation is politics
1:47:43but this is why I thought the game was a great example of really kind of showing you look like I know this in the
1:47:51abstract it's one of reasons why I don't follow the particulars of politics very closely is because
1:47:56when you look into a lot of the issues you realize.
1:48:00So much of politics is kind of smoke
1:48:03and mirrors exactly about this like issues that maybe necessarily don't affect lots of things
1:48:10but people just care tremendously about it but you know it and I want to
1:48:17and I was don't want to mention anything in particular
1:48:19but I'll just pick one that actually happens to be represented very well in the game
1:48:23and it is how much money are you going to put towards welfare fraud investigations. And like in the U.S.
1:48:32This is a perfect example.
1:48:34Yes people love this people want to hear that you have some huge program that you know investigating welfare fraud
1:48:41and terror. But if you actually dig into the numbers this is just such a non-issue.
1:48:47Almost certainly the amount of money that you put into welfare fraud investigation is going to be more than you say
1:48:54from the level of welfare fraud that actually occurs.
1:48:57But people love the welfare fraud investigation even in the game it's like on an intellectual level I'm completely
1:49:04against most welfare fraud investigations because they're not cost effective.
1:49:07But boy do the voters love them like yes to welfare fraud maximally funded.
1:49:13There is the idea of the game is to get reelected is it what you have or the country successfully.
1:49:17That's exactly it get get reelected without running everything into the ground.
1:49:21It's just so interesting because you can know something intellectually
1:49:25but I think a well designed game can make you feel it really instinctually in a way that you can never quite
1:49:33intellectualize and that's why I thought this was it was a great example.
1:49:38Sounds good but you can also you can see how if someone goes into politics and they've never been in politics before
1:49:47and then you realize in politics OK what do you actually spend most of your time doing fund raising.
1:49:52Well what are you worried about. Angry voters you know kicking you out of office so what can you throw their way.
1:49:58It doesn't actually cause. Thank you very much money or impact the things you're really trying to do.
1:50:03If you're doing that for a long period of time you can see how like the I have died many times think you're kind of a
1:50:10different person at the end of that I'm not necessarily saying you're a worse person I think the politics example
1:50:16sounds worse but just because on a daily basis you're thinking about things in a different way.
1:50:21It changes who you are in the same way that when I when I became a teacher.
1:50:27I think about education in a totally different way than I ever did as a kid
1:50:32and then I'm making like this is my first adult job now making adult decisions in an adult world
1:50:38and all of this feeds back into kind of changing who you are over time but I don't think you'd be a good politician
1:50:46or a political leader. Well according to the game I get assassinated very quickly very alike. Yeah.
1:50:53It's if if you have one group that particularly doesn't like you there's a non-zero chance that you will be
1:50:59assassinated. I don't know how many times I was assassinated by one group or another.
1:51:04Question like What can I do to please you group you know the trying to through this.
1:51:09So it's interesting because on paper you should be good because you struck you quite moral You're very logical you do
1:51:16think about what's good for the the greatest good you know efficient very efficient paper you should be OK to latish
1:51:24and in practice you try to be absolutely terrible.
1:51:26This is I think sometimes when I do the like the animal kingdom politics that he
1:51:30or I do a video on voting people often leads leave comments of a Lego to C.G. B.
1:51:35Grade for president if you'd be great for King.
1:51:38Sometimes I respond to those comments and then you do not want me as a political leader.
1:51:44Let me just let me just say that right now this is not something you really want particularly in the IT WERE some of
1:51:52the real world like like I would never ever want to be a politician and I think I would be.
1:52:00Terribly bad at it because actual politics is about being really good with people
1:52:07and being able to negotiate under certain sort of certain situations and you've got a nice voice.
1:52:13Yes but that that is a very small part.
1:52:18Actually I go out and I was with you but not all voice over actors or politicians.
1:52:22You know we're not being run by voice over actors and maybe we should say that
1:52:27and particularly in the United States if you ever dig into the numbers of how politicians spend it they basically spend
1:52:33almost all day every day fund raising.
1:52:36And people have this notion of oh politicians they're reading laws and writing laws
1:52:40and now they are on the phone calling people to give them money.
1:52:45That is what politicians do most of the time and
1:52:47when they're not doing that they're trying to work out deals with other politicians to get particular pet projects
1:52:52through to make somebody in their district happy so actual politics. I would have no interest in ever doing that.
1:52:59And then. This kind of theoretical position where I am elected king somehow and have absolute powers.
1:53:05Nobody wants that either.
1:53:07That's not that's not a good situation because I agree with you that my my overriding thought if I was actually in
1:53:15charge of a country is OK This is a huge responsibility.
1:53:18I am very concerned about the welfare of my people and I will do things for the greater good.
1:53:25My sis and this is sounding like a bit of a political pitch to me
1:53:30but this is what I imagine is the banner of great trouble this is for the greater good.
1:53:34But I heard a lot of horrifying things that can happen under that kind of notion.
1:53:40So you know just because that's the way I would think about it doesn't mean that people would be happy about it at all.
1:53:46Though I don't think there's any universe in which I should be a political leader
1:53:49and I would not want to be a political leader. So anyway. Well I think I'd vote.
1:53:55I'd say if you don't do not vote for me that's my recommendation. Some city any good still.
1:54:01I keep I keep thinking I want to play Sim City again and download it because that would be my escape
1:54:06or have things moved on is that no Electronic Arts the worst video game company in the world currently owns similarly
1:54:15and has run it into the ground in it in a terrible manner I did rate something on its Electronic Arts is awful.
1:54:21They ruined a couple of great games that I really liked.
1:54:24So they are a terrible terrible company and if you work in Electronic Arts.
1:54:28I'm sorry but you should feel bad that your company buys great independent game companies and then crushes them
1:54:35and drinks their blood and turns it into money and it's an awful awful company so no I cannot I cannot recommend it
1:54:42but it's funny that you mention it because actually Sim City was my very first experience with this as a kid the very
1:54:46first Sim City I left there I remember it so clearly they had light movement of I mean some said he was so simple
1:54:52compared to something like democracy three but just the notion of.
1:54:56All of the citizens they want parks but they get angry
1:54:59when I was raise taxes to pay for the parks just just that intuitive feeling I think is very interesting that the games
1:55:07can show you and Sim City is a good example of that
1:55:10and it was my first real experience of that of oh this is teaching me to to think in a different way than I normally do.
1:55:19But no I cannot I cannot recommend the current version of Sim City.
1:55:23I've been looking for a good Sim City simulator game for the mac but I cannot say that I have found one yet so sorry.
1:55:30So I'm betting I'll just keep working.
1:55:33OK if you like making a video of you start playing video games you will be making as many videos
1:55:38and people would be sent. Yeah so I think we actually have other stuff to talk about but I do think we have to stop.
1:55:46I think we have to stop it yeah I think you've got a bit side tracked by direct.
1:55:50Did I get sidetracked or or I think you did I hear you do that off before fully expressing all of my very interesting.
1:56:00It's where you going somewhere was there like a grandfather.
1:56:02Was there a big payoff that I didn't let you get the pay off was more complaining that's what the payoff was I think
1:56:08you were just going to go through each leg one by one
1:56:10and I was like a detail could take probably would have if you hadn't stopped me we were going to talk about a movie
1:56:19but I think you have to say that for both say that there's a movie that we're going to talk about
1:56:23and we'll talk about in the next episode because we've both got things to say about it.
1:56:26Yes OK That's your incentive to keep listening to.
1:56:30Actually I wonder should we tell people what the movie is so it can be like a homework assignment
1:56:37and that's a good idea so we could we could do that.
1:56:40Actually this is this is also a good a good time to mention something else that we were mentioning as we get it will
1:56:45mention moving now we want to talk about the movie her with I can never be the guy's name the chain looking paintings
1:56:55easily leave Phoenix and how he changed it or something.
1:56:59After the movie is called her
1:57:01and we're going to talk about that next time so maybe this is a homework assignment people can watch the movie
1:57:07and then then listen to the episodes so that they are prepared. My my advice I'll talk about this more next time.
1:57:13But my advice always with movies is just watch it. Don't try to find out a whole bunch about it.
1:57:19Just watch a movie and if you don't like it you turn it off.
1:57:22But go into it if your so that's that's that's that's for the movie
1:57:28but I will just mention we have links in the show notes and people should be aware that those are affiliate links.
1:57:36So if we link to Amazon for example or if we link to i Tunes avi you click the link
1:57:44and you buy something through that link. Hello Internet does get a very small percentage of that.
1:57:50So I've gotten a lot of requests from people which I really appreciate where they said oh I have all of the websites
1:57:56and the audio books I could possibly have. Is there any.
1:58:00Other way that I could support the show and so if we mention something that you happen to be interested in you
1:58:08and you click the link that's another way that you can support the show if if you want the no obligation which is just
1:58:14saying that that's the way it is. So the people are aware.
1:58:18But yes some some people have all the audio books and websites and razors they could possibly want.
1:58:26I wonder I have no idea as a recording this who is going to be the appetizers for our show so maybe that one opening
1:58:32show it's not going to be electronic at Electronic Arts. I don't want your money because you're evil.