Tests From The Future

Not many roads remain in the future, but of those that do we've a tale to tell; about why they're still here when the rest are long dusted, and what creatures claimed them and prospered so well. To confirm this episode went back in time, please email michaellasagna5@gmail.com with the episode number 248 in the subject line. We may even respond to your message in a future episode. Chapters 00:00 -...

Most robots live forever and, in a few rare cases, some humans do too. What does that mean for your daily life? What do you mean when you say "See you later"? Do you still get a pension? And what's on your bucket list? In this episode we'll clarify all of that and more. To confirm this episode went back in time, please email michaellasagna5@gmail.com with the episode number 247 in the subject line...

Now that humanity is venturing out into the galaxy a bit more, it may be a good time to rework Earth's Unique Selling Points a little bit. What's so special about our own little home planet? For that purpose the UFOPOO held a survey among a group of aliens and in this episode we discuss the results. Compared to the rest of the universe, how does Earth stand out? Is it our shape? Is it that we're r...

Bit by bit the LMAO is revealing the program of the Space Tour and one of the stops will be the rather unique Radio Star. Besides the fact that you can listen to it from Earth, it has quite a few other peculiar features. On top of that, it's Solstice today and we got each other presents! To confirm this episode went back in time, please email michaellasagna5@gmail.com with the episode number 245 i...

What happens to the main course when the appetiser and desert are much bigger than expected? It gets moved to next week! Today we don't actually talk about the thing that we wanted to talk about, but instead get carried away by the new Space Tour trailer. And then there's a poll! And then there's a long listener email! To confirm this episode went back in time, please email michaellasagna5@gmail.c...

We've received quite a few emails about this topic over the last four years and after more than 200 episodes maybe it is indeed time for us to talk about dating in the 23rd century. Besides our usual chit-chat about using teleporters to fetch that forgotten bouquet of flowers while pretending to go to the bathroom, we also dive a little deeper into why people date and what types of relationship ex...

Oxygen Absorbers were one of the more interesting items on the Space Tour packing list, and we took today's visit to Bad City as an opportunity to go shopping for them already. We ended up buying several different batches at a good price and in today's episode we'll tell you what they are, how you use them, and why a planet made of velcro would be particularly exciting in this context. To confirm...

We don't know where it came from, but suddenly everybody needs to have a Televator! So we borrowed one from Simon's new neighbour, and familiarise you (and ourselves) with the device during today's episode. We also have some slight followup to last week's episode at the start and more information about sentient birds at the end. So there's really something for everybody this time! To confirm this...

Imagine the following: you go somewhere that's not very habitable; you lay down the small suitcase you brought along; and then you push a button by its handle. Within seconds a highly sophisticated condo appears! Totally transparent, a little bit bouncy, and very much cutting edge, meet the so-called Bubble Condo. And if the actual topic isn't already something to be joyous about, wait until you l...

Everybody flap your hands! Or your arms rather! To create a quarter-gravity-field! So that you can fly! Sounds like a lot of effort for something you can also do with… less effort? Sure, but using a Flutterby is simply a lot more fun! In this episode we discuss the ins and outs of this rather eccentric piece of technology and also answer a listener, who inquired after the fate of certain 21st cent...

Four years ago, our first episode reached the 21st century! To commemorate that occasion Dirk's Personal 'A.I.' Assistant Mr. Dobalina agreed to ask us a bunch of questions - some that we suggested and others that he contributed himself. Get ready for a peek behind the curtain of Tests From The Future, a short political discussion, and of course another poetry reading by the interviewer himself! T...

Is it a trend? A craze? A statement? Or the secret ploy of some big corporation? The fact is that kids have recently started going around galvanizing things at night. Park benches, street lights, pigeons, that sort of thing. What do we think about that? How useful is it? And what do we do with the zincsprayer that Dirk brought? World. To confirm this episode went back in time, please email michael...

To stimulate sales for fast space travel, they're giving away the first tour for free. Count us in! On today's episode we fill in the application form and also reveal some of the things we know about the tour. How big is the ship? Are we allergic to nuts and bolts? And can we bring pets? Also, totally unrelated, what's a zoo swap? To confirm this episode went back in time, please email michaellasa...

After spending several days in this rented hangar, building our own Starfury, we present our somewhat mixed results. We do actually explain what a Starfury is at some point, but not before we tell you all about our current location, its features and its neighbours. And we don't shy away from admitting that we actually couldn't get the thing to work. Maybe we should've used the Allen Wrench more? T...

Once a child, now a grownup. Once bestowed with superpowers, now still bestowed with superpowers. How is life as a former child superhero? How applicable are superpowers to 23rd century every day life? And how do you even find out that you can breathe underground? In this episode we dissect the life of another 23rd century celebrity, and also give you a quick update on Simon's life as a Person of...

We're doing it again! We both take up opposite positions on the spectrum between shapeshifting and skinwalking. Which is best? Which one of us has the most convincing arguments? Which one of us folds first? And which one of us gets distracted first and talks about lamp posts, LEGO, symmetrical pizzas and company meetings? Spoiler for that last bit; both of us! To confirm this episode went back in...

They finished the ReCreation on the ground floor of Simon's building, so we decided to take a look. ReCreations are specifically aimed at robots, so we made sure to go with a few of our robot friends. We'll talk about the grand opening, discuss some of the services they offer, and speculate about which of the services could theoretically apply to humans too. Also, we reveal the perfect trick to ge...

Simon got the keys to a very unique apartment in his building. What's special about it is that nobody has been seen entering or leaving the place for almost 200 years. We'll take you on a tour past dust, cobwebs, bulky computers and piles of crumbling newspapers. Now we know how 21st century people lived! To confirm this episode went back in time, please email michaellasagna5@gmail.com with the ep...

Simon won some last minute tickets to the Pinball Star Track, and he didn't even know he'd entered the lottery! We queue up outside the stadium and record our anticipatory experience. What's a Pinball Star Track race like? What do the other spectators look like? And who wants some nuts? And, not unimportantly, why do they split the queue? To confirm this episode went back in time, please email mic...

Well, it sure has been a week to remember! We're still trying to solve the case from last week, but there have been some developments that have put quite a different spin on the whole thing. In this episode we explain everything that's happened since you last heard us. You'll hear more about bulgur and less about rabid dogs. And you'll sure find out why the Luminati weren't as worried as we were!...

This episode is not for the faint of heart! It contains words like blood, murder, brain damage and pencil case. Why is that? Unfortunately, in a future that is almost free of crime, a murdered alien gets a whole lot of attention. And because there was no such thing as an intergalactic police force, the UFOPOO assigned the case to Dirk, and Dirk asked Simon to help him investigate. In this episode...

Spontaneous recording! Dirk is at a UFO showroom, looking at all kinds of different models, and decides to record by himself. And half the hosts means half the length! How does the showroom look? Which models are there? What happens when you press that button? That sort of stuff. To confirm this episode went back in time, please email michaellasagna5@gmail.com with the episode number in the subjec...

Dirk kept today's topic a secret for Simon, so it's not just you, the listener, who gets to be surprised. But yes, there are animals in space. Because… why not? If they can survive on land, in the ocean and in the sky, then why not in space? It's just that humanity only discovered the first species after we started exploring and colonising the solar system. We'll highlight some of the species toda...

What would you do when strange and energetic messages arrive from a massive energy source far away in space? Well… first of all, that's probably a question that nobody's ever asked you before. And second, you obviously try to use them to power up your favorite device! We'll explain what happens when you actually try that, while at the same time speculating about what the true content of these mess...

Happy Bird Day to you, dear listener! Because of this wonderful day, we dedicated a whole episode to these fascinating creatures. Attentive listeners may even remember that 'Birds From The Future' was one of our original (discarded) ideas for the podcast. We explain why birds had a bit of an accelerated "evolution" and also highlight some of our favourite future birds. And - let's call it a bonus...