Episode 483: Please Wear Pajamas on The Polar Express

Science Faction Podcast

This episode contains: Ben and Devon lead the charge this week because Steven is tired. Devon took his kids on The Polar Express, and everyone was wearing pajamas. Ben just realized that when a kid is in a sport, it consumes the entire family. Ben has a confrontation with a random. How does a pork dish taste like steak?

Gone Rogue: Gigantic Wave in Pacific Ocean Was Most Extreme 'Rogue Wave' on Record. Rogue waves are fun and terrifying; they are rare giant waves that can capsize boats. A 58 foot high wave, three times the height of the waves around it was recorded by a buoy in 2020. Rogue waves were thought to be ocean folklore until an 85 foot wave struck an oil-drilling platform in 1995. The intensity of rogue waves are measured against 'normal' waves around them. We talk about the differences between tsunamis and rogue waves.

https://www.sciencealert.com/gigantic-wave-in-pacific-ocean-was-most-extreme-rogue-wave-on-record

This One's For The Birds: Researchers Taught Parrots to Video Call Other Parrots. The parrots were taught to make calls to other dometic parrots using Facebook Messenger. The researchers wondered if given the choice, would the birds call each other? The answer is yes. Strong social dynamics started to appear. The calls lasted 5 minutes, and some of the birds created strong bonds (and still call each other after the study). Devon questions how making a video call is different from the 'mirror test'. Did pirates domesticate parrots? Devon is "well read" because of South Park and The Simpsons.

https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/04/21/parrots-talking-video-calls/

Science Fiction: Devon is reading and listening to Sun Eater series: Empire of Silence which is well written but borrows liberally from other scifi. Ben talks about the lit-verse of Star Trek novels. Ben has been reading the Typhon Pact series of Star Trek novels and is on book 4, Paths of Disharmony. Devon continually re-watches Star Trek and loves Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation, Enterprise and everything Trek. Do some alien cultures in Star Trek come across as too racist or stereotypical?

Patreon Only: Steven bails, Notion Problems, Another Disney Trip and Switzerland.