SGU Episode 406

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SGU Episode 359
34th May 2012
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 405                      SGU 407
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
R: Rebecca Watson
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
Education is the path from cocky ignorance to miserable uncertainty.
Mark Twain
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Forum Discussion

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Introduction

You're listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, your escape to reality.

S: Hello and welcome to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. Today is Tuesday, April 24, 2013, and this is your host, Steven Novella. Joining me this week are Bob Novella,

B: Hey, everybody.

S: Rebecca Watson,

R: Hello, everyone.

S: Jay Novella,

J: Hey, guys.

S: and Evan Bernstein.

E: Mach-cho maroon.

S: Thank you, Evan.

J: That sounds very Game of Thrones-y.

E: It's the first words I think I've ever spoken in Dothraki.

J: And what does it mean?

R: It means "Die, scum!" (laughter) (garbled comments)

S: It means: "Your horse is ugly."

J: Does it mean Hello?

R: It means hello.

E: Yes. It's the long way of saying "hello."

S: Or as close as you get to it in Dothraki.

J: Game of Thrones is kicking ass. The latest episode was awesome.

B: Yeah.

J: And that has nothing to do with science.

E: Everything to do with pop culture.

S: That's right.

This Day in Skepticism (1:02)

April 27, 1791: Birth of Samuel Morse

R: But you know what does have to do, slightly, with science is that today, April 27, is the birthday of Samuel Morse, who was born in 1791.

E: Oh, happy birthday.

B: Wait. I missed that segue. What's, how did you do that? Oh, never mind. Go ahead. (laughter)

R: You know, it was just so smooth, you missed it. Yeah, so, Samuel Morse, most people know as the inventor, or co-inventor, of Morse code. I found it really interesting, I was reading up on him, and apparently he got interested in telegraph systems because he was far away from his wife when she took ill, and he got a telegram saying that she was basically on her death bed. And by the time he was able to rush to see her, she was already dead and buried. And he was so angry about it

E: Sad.

R: that he gave up painting. He had been a painter. And he dedicated his life to finding a better way to communicate over long distances. So, yeah, a tragedy, but it was positive results for humanity.

J: You know what he said when he got there and they said "Your wife is dead."? He said, "She's dit dit dit dit dit dit dit dit dit dit dit dead?"

B: Oh, my, God. (groans and laughter)

S: That was bad.

E: Wow.

J: Guys, guys, come on.

B: Please edit that out, Steve. (laughter continues) Imagine how awesome that was back then when you realize that, holy crap, we can communicate so fast over hundreds, thousands, of miles. It must have been like pure science fiction to them.

S: Yeah, so, I learned some interesting things about Samuel Morse. First of all, he graduated from Yale. So he's a Yale alum. Supported himself as a painter, as Rebecca said. He didn't just invent, actually co-invent, with Alfred Vail, Morse code. He actually developed the electrical telegraph. And he, one of the critical inventions for that was the relay. He invented the relay. You guys know how that works?

J: Sure.

S: Hit me.

J: Oh, the re--, you mean the thing that boosts the signal so it can go over long distances.

S: Yeah. So, 'cause the wires back then were so crappy, one signal could really only go not even a mile. It couldn't go very far at all. So he figured out a way of putting in a relay where the signal hits a relay circuit which essentially, a very weak signal, you have a very sensitive circuit, so that even a weak signal comes in, and it activates a magnet, which triggers an arm, which creates a new click, which then can go the next distance to the next relay. So very simple, very basic, but that was a critical invention to the functioning of the

B: Oh, yeah.

S: over long distances.

B: They had to set those up every mile? Wow, that's a lot.

S: Yeah, something like that, yeah.

B: Initially, at least.

E: It's like fiber optic today; they have relay stations.

S: Do you guys know what the first message sent across one of those telegraphs was?

J: Yes.

B: I used to know it.

J: "Send more Chuck Berry."

R: Well, I only know because I read it like an hour ago.

J: Say it with authority.

R: I know exactly what it was, Steve. It was "A patient waiter is no loser."

S: Right. Which is interesting because it's not . . .

B: That's kinda lame.

S: Yeah. It's kinda lame.

R: Yeah.

S: But his father was

R: It's no "What hath God wrought?"

S: Yeah, "what hath God wrought?"

E: Or "Watson, come here, I want you.

S: That's what he said when he was transmitting from the Supreme Court chamber.

E: Right.

S: His father was a Calvinist preacher, so it's kind of, I guess, has the moralistic tone with which he was raised. His father was Jedidiah Morse. You gotta love that name, Jedidiah. Not many Jedidiahs around today.

B: No.

S: And Morse also was pro-slavery. And was active in resisting both Catholics and immigrants.

E: Um hm.

J: When you say "resisting," what do you mean "resist"?

S: He was, he actively campaigned against immigrants and Catholics.

R: Horrible person

J: Wow.

R: who did some good stuff.

J: I didn't know that.

B: I like him a little less now.

S: He was a product of his time and his father.

B: True.

S: Gotta cut him a little bit of slack.

R: I don't know, there were plenty of people of his time who were vehemently anti-slavery.

S: Um hm. I agree, I just said "a little bit." It's hard to look back 200 years and be too heavily moralizing.

R: Eh. I find it easy. (laughter)

News Items

Mars One ()

• http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-04/apply-now-one-way-trip-mars

Bomb Detector Fraud ()

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22266051

TED and Chopra ()

• NeuroLogica Blog: Confusing Standards for Censorship – Chopra Edition

Creationism and Dinosaurs ()

• http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/21/aclu-to-kansas-school-district-cancel-creationist-assemblies-about-dinosaurs/

Who's That Noisy? ()

Puzzle for last week

Questions and Emails ()

Question 1 ()

Bitcoin Follow Up Corrections and further analysis of Bitcoin

Science or Fiction ()

#1: Scientists have developed a vaccine that can reduce the risk of developing autism in high-risk infants by over 20%. Item #2: A study finds that medical interns spend only 12% of their time with patients, while spending 40% of their time at computers. Item #3: A new study finds that over 50% of products recalled by the FDA between 2004 and 2012 because they probably would "cause serious adverse health consequences or death" were dietary supplements.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

Education is the path from cocky ignorance to miserable uncertainty.

Announcements ()

S: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by SGU Productions, dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking. For more information on this and other episodes, please visit our website at theskepticsguide.org, where you will find the show notes as well as links to our blogs, videos, online forum, and other content. You can send us feedback or questions to info@theskepticsguide.org. Also, please consider supporting the SGU by visiting the store page on our website, where you will find merchandise, premium content, and subscription information. Our listeners are what make SGU possible.

References