Tests From The Future

Did you know you can control the weather? Well, if you did, please let us know how. Because today we talk about a period in time where we tried to influence the weather across the globe but failed horribly. Suffering from disagreements, weather extremes (or weather extremities as Dirk calls then) and countries being disconnected from the teleporter network, this was finally categorised under "prob...

No matter which time zone you're in - it's Game Night! In this episode we'll play a few games that are quite popular in the 23rd century. Don't try this at home, folks! Which… you know… you can't anyway, because all games require our fancy 23rd century technology. On the agenda tonight are, among other things, a game that involves downloading personal data from a stranger, as well as a game that h...

With Dirk delayed by unforeseen circumstances, Simon flies solo with an exciting pod-related discovery. Answers to listener questions then involve the Bowel Disruptor's much kindlier successor, and many-legged hotels too. To confirm this episode went back in time, please email michaellasagna5@gmail.com with the episode number in the subject line. We may even respond to your message in a future epi...

Why would us 23rd century folk build cities in the sky, you may ask? Well, many good reasons, but we don't really cover those. Instead we explain why the shade below these cities is not always bad, which floating city has water slides and why one city is actually called Fartburg. We also discuss the shortest email ever, and most importantly, Simon reminds Dirk that today is a very special day! To...

Today we speak about doors. In-depth. In great detail. And after those two minutes, we start to question why we actually have doors… Luckily, before we start to wonder if doors even exist in the first place, we move on to more exciting topics, such as what we did during the week and which words Dirk uses the most, according to Mr. Dobalina. To confirm this episode went back in time, please email m...

We visited a Bacchanal. For research! Bacchanals are illegal events, organised by robots, where humans can smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol and eat meat. They're really hard to get into and really hard to get to too. When we got handed two tickets, we immediately decided to go and to tell our listeners all about it. Find out what we tried and what we didn't try. And what we even remember! As a bonu...

Okay, it's not forever, but us 23rd century folk do live pretty long! With average life expectancy up to 151 years, and life's essentials pretty much taken care off, we sure have a lot of time on our hands. In this episode we explain what effect this long lifespan has on families, work, relationships and studying. Oh, and we also answer the ultimate question; "Why on earth do we live in Frankfurt?...

The applications are really endless! Portals are essentially Teleporters that map on to one location only. Because they are on all the time, they let everything through; the view, the wind, the smell, the mosquitos, the trains. They're great for parties in multiple locations, or to have a window with a different view. They're not so great when the weather in the other side is bad. We also discuss...

In this episode we try to group all the different robots in a few arbitrary categories. Because that's what you do when things get complicated! You'll learn what's the difference between Androids and Humanoids, which robots are popular in Shrink Cities and why you better keep clear of Doberbots. Also, a listener has a great idea about a new energy source for robots! To confirm this episode went ba...

Time flies when you're in the 23rd century! Our last Solstice celebration seems only six months ago… oh, wait, that's because it was! This time, we went to see a preview of the eagerly awaited next entry in the Yoda vs. Agent Smith movie series. If you haven't seen any of the previous movies - and chances are that you haven't - a lot of the stuff in this episode probably doesn't make much sense. D...

"You're never coming back from that Sol vacation." At least, that's what Sol's marketing department wants you to think when you book your Jupiter holiday. In the second part of this two-part-episode you'll learn even more slogans, find out why Disney has the right to name new planets, and learn why we're considering downgrading Neptune to a dwarf planet. As a bonus we describe what the apartment b...

Sol is short for the Sol Federation, the institution that governs our solar system. We briefly introduce them, but then go on a big planetal association spree. Do you know what Venus' slogan is? Or which planet has the best ice cream? Well, you will after listening to this episode. What you won't know though, is what the nations on Mars are named after, because we spontaneously decide to split the...

Hours after last week's recording, Earth resumed its course, and Earth's population breathed a sigh of relief. Since then we've been struggling with a global jetlag and other after effects. We're almost half a day behind now, for example, and we're not sure if we should call it evening or morning. We speak about the theories as to what might have caused this, and discuss possible ways to line up t...

Earlier today the world stopped rotating. Seriously! We had other topics planned, but then decided to cover the event itself. It happened a few hours ago, so it's mostly speculation and guesswork at this point. And our insightful comments are regularly interrupted by sirens and alarms going off. But… we're still here! And everybody else seems to be too. Some people are making the most of it and so...

Simon went to Psychedelica! Pretty impressive, considering humans can't easily go there. The actual topic of the week is invisibility cloaks. We even use one on the show, although the technology is not so impressive when you can't see it. We spend a lot of time explaining what's not so great about them, and if that wasn't enough, we then struggle to find scenarios in which you could actually use o...

Since listeners made us aware of the fact that we don't really talk much tech during our tech talk, we decided to go into a lot of technical detail when discussing the Seismo Pro-X. We discuss things like semiconductors, NEFF inverters and in-situ leaching. You'll learn exactly why the device was such a revolution and how it shaped a lot of the technology we use today. No talking about colours or...

Enough about us. Let's talk about them! You know… Aliens. Willow, a Partian, was willing to be our first official guest on the show, so we interviewed them in the UFOPOO botanical garden. The recording went kind of okay, as in, you can only really understand what we say, but hey, that way you get to hear how an alien really sounds! We ask them important questions, like "How does space travel work?...

This week we don't discuss household appliances that everybody has. Quite the opposite! We speak about something of which there is only one; the Intergalactic Escalator. It was originally intended as a simple way to reach a space station, but… that didn't work out. So, now it's a tourist attraction! We tell you all about its past and present, and speculate a little about its future. There is also...

Hoverboards are one of many different vehicles that let you hover. We zoom in on these boards specifically, because they're one of the most common modes of transport. We explain that they hover over all kinds of surfaces, but that you should still be a little careful above water. We also try to figure out which side of a backpack is the back, and Simon explains that 21st century people pretend the...

Doctor Dream isn't a doctor. It's not even a person! It's a company that allows you to decide what you dream. Sounds amazing? Well it is. At least when you get the Pro Plan, which is what Simon has. He explains all the benefits to Dirk, who simply thought that the Pro Plan was the Free Plan without advertising. We discuss what it means to dream in colour and speculate why the company bought the st...

Doctor Dream isn't a doctor. It's not even a person! It's a company that allows you to decide what you dream. Sounds amazing? Well it is. At least when you get the Pro Plan, which is what Simon has. He explains all the benefits to Dirk, who simply thought that the Pro Plan was the Free Plan without advertising. We discuss what it means to dream in colour and speculate why the company bought the st...

Where did all the holograms go? When we were younger, they were everywhere, but now they've all but disappeared. We investigate their gradual demise, while at the same time reminiscing about the days when holograms were a part of our everyday lives. Sure, they were buggy and didn't really have a killer application, but it sure was fun to run through them as a kid! Also, we answer a few unusual ema...

It's both Dirk's birthday and our 50th episode! This calls for a proper celebration, so we visit the shuttle station next door to Simon. Remember how you heard shuttles arriving and departing in the distance before? Well, get ready for that happening much closer and much louder, while we explore the station. We discover the cloak room, the meteor shower and of course the JACL. Plus we observe wher...

Crispy creatures are essentially creatures that used to be extinct, but were remade thanks to modern technology. We explain where the funny name comes from, which animals have responded quite well to their second chance, which animals we probably shouldn't have remade, and what commercial opportunities the new technology brings. Jurassic Park anyone? Then, to our surprise, our pizza is delivered b...

In this episode you get up to speed on two centuries of Mercury colonisation, from the first BepiColombo missions, to having all Earth's energy coming from the reflector shields installed on the planet's surface. We discuss why robots are heavily involved, what global cooling is, and what happens when Venus gets in the way. Or Mars… or some other planet. Oh, and we learn the pros and cons of using...