Three Body Problem

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[00:00:45] Hello and welcome back to another episode of the big sci-fi podcast where we have really fun discussions about all things sci-fi

[00:00:53] Today, I'm gonna talk about a very new Netflix show

[00:00:56] Three bottom three body problem and our feelings on it to help me over analyze the series in excruciating detail

[00:01:04] Are my usual co-hosts?

[00:01:06] Adina Mignola

[00:01:08] Hello, and not just over analyze the series over analyze the first two episodes

[00:01:14] Right, or maybe just the first if that's all we get through today, right exactly

[00:01:20] Brian Donahue. Hey, it's Brian from Ohio and you you kind of messed up a little bit

[00:01:25] You'd be almost said the three bottom problem

[00:01:29] And I would watch that show too. I think yeah, that's the spin-off that's supposed to be coming

[00:01:36] 2026 but there's some scheduling problems

[00:01:40] And also Steve Merkin

[00:01:43] Hello everybody, and please don't want to strangle me my fellow co-hosts, but it was 88 degrees here today in Los Angeles

[00:01:53] Wow

[00:01:54] It was

[00:01:57] Dry 88 or human 80

[00:02:01] Yes, yeah

[00:02:03] But it's it still feels unusual since we've had all this rain and cold weather and it's gonna hit again this weekend

[00:02:10] So blah blah anyway

[00:02:12] onto the show

[00:02:13] Onto the show, but I will say it's very warm here. I don't know what the temperature is today

[00:02:17] But I had my windows open. I was driving

[00:02:20] Great we had like a massive snowstorm like two weeks ago, so I don't know I don't get it

[00:02:26] But that's what we're here to talk about

[00:02:29] We are here to talk about the three body problem

[00:02:32] but specifically the first two episodes because

[00:02:35] I'll say behind the scenes were all the different places. I think we initially said hey

[00:02:40] Let's all try and get to at least episode 3

[00:02:44] People are busy, but then Steve and I could not stop watching the show

[00:02:48] So I'm on episode 4 he finished the season so we're gonna try and only focus on episode 1 and

[00:02:55] 2 well my first question for everyone. What are your overall thoughts on the show? How are you feeling about it?

[00:03:03] I

[00:03:04] am

[00:03:06] This is Brian from Ohio in case you're wondering I I am I have been so pleasantly surprised

[00:03:14] And

[00:03:15] I this is a show. I'm just two episodes and I've watched episodes 1 & 2 I

[00:03:21] Am watching this show and just enjoying it. I'm not trying to figure it out all the way. I'm not trying to

[00:03:28] See if I can figure out what's coming or why this is happening or that

[00:03:32] I am really just enjoying the show for what it is because it's different and

[00:03:38] It's got

[00:03:39] Rosalind Chow in it cake go from our beloved next generation

[00:03:44] It's just I love the characters. I love the special effects are great. It's intriguing

[00:03:50] It's taking you forwards and backwards in time to tell the story

[00:03:53] I want to know what happens next so I'm I'm really enjoying it. Yeah, I'm gonna say very similar

[00:04:02] I'm really enjoying it. There's so many things that I'm pleased about

[00:04:06] I was very nervous about this because I read the book in

[00:04:11] We were talking about this before we start recording today

[00:04:14] I'm trying to remember when I read the book it was in the

[00:04:18] 2014 2015 2016 somewhere thereabouts

[00:04:22] It was definitely before 2017 because 2017 is when I started keeping track of all the books

[00:04:28] I read in a spreadsheet and I didn't go back and backfill so it was before 2017

[00:04:33] But so anyway, so I know where I knew basically what we were getting sort of but you never know

[00:04:40] Really how a show is gonna get adapted into a movie or into a show from a book, but I know

[00:04:48] what's behind it, you know, I generally know what's behind everything and

[00:04:53] Because it's very in some ways physics heavy. I was very nervous

[00:04:59] about like how are they gonna do this and our people gonna be like engaged with some of the like heavy physics and

[00:05:06] Well one hearing you guys, you know is wonderful

[00:05:11] But to every time one of the characters would say something that is obviously

[00:05:18] Explaining some basic physics concept to the non physics person the way they did it has been

[00:05:27] Wonderful in like every case especially

[00:05:32] I think it's a character dr. Saul like his line

[00:05:37] dialogue of physics explanations are

[00:05:40] Awesome. So I'm so far very happy. The only reason I haven't watched more of it yet is I just have not had time

[00:05:49] Yeah, I was kicking myself today

[00:05:51] I haven't had the time until this after well a little bit this morning and

[00:05:56] I was like, oh man

[00:05:57] I wish I would have tried to carve out another couple hours so I could see more because I really didn't want to stop

[00:06:03] But I just I just didn't so it's a good show folks, mr. Steve, how about to you my friend? Well

[00:06:10] Yes, I had to watch it all the way through

[00:06:15] I I didn't know how far each one of you were going to get through it and I had the time

[00:06:20] So I did watch it. So I will limit

[00:06:25] Extremely what I have to say because

[00:06:28] What was that line from the haunted mansion ride, you know, no, no, that's from that's from Pirates of Caribbean

[00:06:34] He knows too much the secret and so I don't want to spoil it for you guys

[00:06:40] And I don't spoil it for those who haven't watched it yet

[00:06:43] So I will again keep myself to episodes one and two and to keep myself under control

[00:06:49] I do have the episode breakdown here from Wikipedia

[00:06:53] I know what I should talk about and what I should not talk about

[00:06:59] Anyone listening?

[00:07:00] I hope you know, you've seen episodes one or two because obviously we're gonna spoil the heck out of it if you haven't

[00:07:06] Pause now. We'll wait and we'll be here when you get back

[00:07:10] Go watch at least episodes one and two. We'll be eating a few snacks though. I'm gonna

[00:07:17] Doritos

[00:07:18] Yeah, or cheetos. I've been enjoying cheetos a lot lately Chris

[00:07:23] a baked cheetos

[00:07:26] Blind sublime. I'm just saying

[00:07:29] No, I

[00:07:31] Again it it sucks you right in with the opening sequence of what was happening during the cultural revolution

[00:07:38] That was happening in China and how?

[00:07:42] intellectual scientists

[00:07:44] Non-believers where were

[00:07:48] Persecuted and imprisoned and sent to re-education camps and so on and and you learn about that in the very first sequence

[00:07:55] With regards to the main character one of the main characters Papa. So yeah

[00:08:02] Yeah, I agree with everyone. It's just like one of those shows where I'm always not hesitant

[00:08:07] But I'm always like, okay

[00:08:08] I'm gonna start a new show and I'm always ready to like

[00:08:12] Have to power through the first couple of episodes to get into it

[00:08:15] But I felt like the from the very first scene I was I was hooked and yeah, I love the physics stuff I

[00:08:22] Yeah, I just can't stop watching it honestly

[00:08:24] I love that you love that you said that you love the physics stuff like

[00:08:28] Yeah, this is one of those shows what I really wish I wish like every like 16 17 year old would see it

[00:08:34] Even though it's like TV MA for mature audiences

[00:08:37] I I you know and and there's at least so far

[00:08:41] It's I am iffy on whether I would let my almost 14 year old watch it

[00:08:46] Well so far I'm iffy but I wish they kind of made it a little bit more appropriate for that age range because

[00:08:52] Because of the physics stuff, I think it's enough to basically get kids asking. Ooh

[00:09:00] interesting and

[00:09:01] Possibly spur their interest as they think about what they're gonna do in college and beyond

[00:09:06] Yeah for me it was like I'm always excited when I hear physics talk and then when I see people in the lab looking

[00:09:12] At a computer screen for whatever reason I'm like I'm instantly in but when I forgot the character's name

[00:09:18] I'm gonna have to pull him up and he's like, oh, yeah

[00:09:20] by the way all of like

[00:09:21] He's like basically freaking out because all of the physics that they've that we know to be true is no longer

[00:09:28] True, and it's like all of these what?

[00:09:32] Not particle accelerators, what are they called? Can you help me out Adina? Yeah

[00:09:37] That was exactly oh they are particle

[00:09:41] Accelerators across the world just producing these like nonsense results and

[00:09:45] Physics has essentially gone out the window and I'm like, I love it

[00:09:49] Yeah, just give me more

[00:09:50] Well, there's your suspension of the belief if physics goes out the window then you can do whatever you want

[00:09:58] Right, but the fact that it's like it's not just saying oh we're just gonna accept it

[00:10:02] But the fact that they make a big deal about this should not be possible

[00:10:04] It's like that's where I allow it to be like, okay, and plus I love science fiction. So I'm used to

[00:10:10] Them doing things that you technically can't do

[00:10:14] Yeah, loving that how are how are how are we all feeling about the central mystery from the first two episodes?

[00:10:21] It was really intriguing. Mm-hmm and

[00:10:26] You know to go from

[00:10:28] China and what's happening in the revolution and

[00:10:33] To go kind of to the other side of the world and see what's happening

[00:10:40] At a later point in time right to just to just it's it's intriguing and then I got to say like

[00:10:47] The whole switching of the lights in the universe

[00:10:52] Yeah

[00:10:53] What

[00:10:55] Yeah

[00:10:56] When you realize that huge satellite is is it's not a weapon and

[00:11:02] Then I won't say it yet what she does to make kind of oh my gosh. I

[00:11:08] Just I it's the whole thing and then the whole head thing the crown with the gaming. Yeah

[00:11:13] It's like I got a I have to say it. I apologize, but you know, I'm the Star Trek guy

[00:11:18] We're all the Star Trek people did this sound like an old an episode to you at all

[00:11:22] Does this bring a bell the universe winking in and out? Oh

[00:11:26] my goodness

[00:11:28] Terrible series series

[00:11:30] Original series. Oh, I'm not I would have to watch that again. It's been a while

[00:11:35] Yeah, this is alternative factor where there's the oh, there's like these two guys

[00:11:39] They keep switching places and the universe keeps winking in and out

[00:11:43] And the guy goes it's the key the key the key and he's running around the ship and he has a band-aid

[00:11:49] On his head. Yeah

[00:11:52] But like I just love the connection, you know, oh not really it's good it was the same thing

[00:11:58] It's like the stars are winking in and out right?

[00:12:01] Huh? I'm gonna go back and watch that episode. I haven't seen that for a long time. I could be wrong

[00:12:06] But okay, we all have homework. We got to go watch the alternative factor. I'll do it on the treadmill

[00:12:12] So

[00:12:15] I yeah Chris, I just I think there's so much in this that is

[00:12:20] the mystery is

[00:12:22] Is really hooked they've done a great job of hooking you with the mystery in the countdown clock. Oh, that's terrible

[00:12:29] My gosh what you know wanting to know what that was about and that it could be turned off and then linking that to

[00:12:37] I making contact and what that means, you know and oh it's just

[00:12:43] Chilling. Yeah, I think it's kind of hard just because you know again going into the show since I had read the book. So

[00:12:50] Again, I know the like I already know the answer

[00:12:53] You know, so but even even knowing that it's still

[00:12:58] I'm still all in on this show is absolutely still very compelling

[00:13:04] Even knowing all of that

[00:13:06] Interesting it'll be very interesting

[00:13:08] Dina once you've watched all eight episodes and then you can refer back to the book to let us know

[00:13:14] How accurate or how close it was because of course, I never read the books

[00:13:19] I'm just I'm just watching this cold and I took it all the way to the very end

[00:13:24] so I don't know if the

[00:13:26] Book is the same as the this or is this the American?

[00:13:31] interpretation or the your or you know Anglo

[00:13:35] interpretation of the story

[00:13:37] Yeah, I mean it it's gotta it's gotta be to some degree because for the most part

[00:13:43] Well, I mean the book was also somewhat international, of course

[00:13:48] You know, the main character was still you know Rosalind Chow's character. Mm-hmm in the book and

[00:13:55] It still had a lot of focus on her backstory with the Cultural Revolution and what she did in the work can't you like so?

[00:14:03] There's still all that but then there's like a whole international component to what's happening. Okay, so

[00:14:11] You know I've read over the last few years

[00:14:13] I've read I guess a little bit more and more like Chinese science fiction

[00:14:19] Mm-hmm, which is I'm gonna just say it's different than Western science fiction in

[00:14:26] How and it's hard? I don't know if I have the right words

[00:14:30] But when you're reading it you kind of I

[00:14:33] Use the term. I feel a little magical realism in it, but I don't think that's the right term

[00:14:40] It's more though that some aspects of fantasy are very much more integrated into

[00:14:45] And then of course, there's a focus on and the characters because they are

[00:14:51] Chinese they have that cultural aspect is very very different from European and American culture

[00:14:57] But this book in particular

[00:15:01] Actually had for me more of a Western feel

[00:15:05] Other Chinese science fiction I've read which was really interesting because it's a little bit older and

[00:15:11] The author the original author of it

[00:15:13] I mean he was born in he was born and lived through the Cultural Revolution

[00:15:17] Uh-huh stuff like that. So he's he's not old. Yeah, he's a little older, but he's you know, so he's not young

[00:15:23] So it's a little I don't know I was it was a little surprising I guess

[00:15:29] Yeah, that's all I can say for now

[00:15:32] So typically with the treadmill show I'm able to actually what I'm really motivated

[00:15:37] It means at least once a day I can get on the treadmill to watch one show and that's kind of like the right

[00:15:42] Amount of time per day. So I've got so in six days. I'll be able to tell you okay more episodes

[00:15:49] That's good I was gonna say but yeah, it's interesting because it does have a sort of

[00:15:55] It's still science fiction

[00:15:56] But it does have a mystical feel to it. That's a bit different than other science fiction

[00:16:02] Yes, and that will be brought out in later episodes

[00:16:08] Say anything more but yes, there is a very interesting

[00:16:14] Aspect of that especially with that crown with the video virtual reality type thing

[00:16:20] Is that what you guys are talking about kind of that? Yeah

[00:16:24] That's

[00:16:26] mystical kind of that's

[00:16:28] What I would think no again kind of assuming what's coming. That's not what I would think that Steve is talking about

[00:16:35] Nope. No, no, I think there's something else he's talking about but that is the interface

[00:16:42] That device that yeah

[00:16:45] Google glasses or whatever you want to write. Yeah. Yeah that allows

[00:16:52] Characters to be vented

[00:16:55] Mm-hmm and that

[00:16:58] Did you mean vetted that excuse me that thank you thank you thank you they were sifted

[00:17:04] Thank you

[00:17:05] So I think too when let's just talk like Chris sometimes you bring out like props and costumes and stuff like that

[00:17:12] Cuz cuz you're very interested in that. I thought that crown that they put on they kept calling it the crown, right?

[00:17:20] They called it. I don't remember what they call it

[00:17:23] Episode or two they called it the crown

[00:17:26] The gold crown or something but any in anyways, you guys know I'm talking about

[00:17:31] Yes, of course that is such a cool prop. Mm-hmm like that thing looks otherworldly

[00:17:37] Doesn't it and it's a cool prop that makes you believe. Oh, this is something weird, you know

[00:17:44] Yeah

[00:17:44] I had the thought out of this world where I was like, you know

[00:17:47] If I could find the replica that I'm sure they're out there

[00:17:49] I'd love to get one put on my shelf and then so I'm like all three body problem, right?

[00:17:55] That stuff is cool

[00:17:56] But it's just to me is like that's my ultimate fear of it

[00:17:59] Like I do never want to play a game that realistic even you know, just because I don't want to get sucked into it

[00:18:05] I like to have I don't even really like VR that much for that reason. So it's just like that's my worst nightmare

[00:18:11] No, it's don't want any part of it aside from holiday. That's the other thing that's terrifying

[00:18:16] That's also terrifying

[00:18:17] I mean really the fact that people have to constantly

[00:18:20] If you're in a situation where you wake up and you have to check to see if it's a holodeck that's a problem

[00:18:26] Yeah, that's a huge problem. Well have any of you ever used the VR goggles or one of the yeah those games

[00:18:34] So I used it once with my buddy like these

[00:18:40] Not only do I use it one of my

[00:18:42] One of my jobs at work

[00:18:44] I have a lot of do I wear a lot of different hats at work is I manage I started and manage a VR lab

[00:18:49] at my facility

[00:18:50] Those that's like Adina. Those are like three times bigger than any VR goggles of it

[00:18:56] It's like crocodile Dundee and a guy pops out the knife. He goes all you call that a knife

[00:19:02] VR goggle

[00:19:05] Fairly normal like

[00:19:08] Headset so that's the HTC by for anyone since the folks who see that

[00:19:13] It's very similar. It's similar yet different to the oculus. This one is though

[00:19:19] What yours is 2024. It's

[00:19:21] Four years ish old. Okay, so newer generations are a little thinner a little lighter

[00:19:28] Not not not a lot from what from what I have

[00:19:32] But yeah, and so at work we use it to look at our engineering models before we build them

[00:19:37] That's and at home we play a lot of beat saber

[00:19:41] Yeah

[00:19:44] Now my son-in-law Brian he got the oculus, you know that oculus is that thing another one

[00:19:51] Yeah, that's a very popular one. Yeah, that's when he got and so I there was a Jedi

[00:19:56] Star Wars game that he was playing to put on. Yeah, it's really

[00:20:00] interesting so in this in this sequence when people put on they step into another world

[00:20:07] Then their own world and they can taste dirt

[00:20:11] Yeah

[00:20:12] Well, and that's the thing is is so they they recognize it

[00:20:15] So I'm gonna still call him Sam Tarly because I could never remember the actors name

[00:20:20] But I love him the do yes

[00:20:22] He's he's he's great the dude who played Sam Tarly in Game of Thrones is in this is one of the main characters

[00:20:29] And yes, so as they're examining this virtual reality stuff

[00:20:33] You know there you know, he's obviously versed in state of the art

[00:20:38] And so they're recognizing this or he's recognizing it at least for like, oh my god

[00:20:42] This is like this is 50 to 100 years beyond

[00:20:47] what we believe we know as

[00:20:50] humanity state of the art

[00:20:52] And what he's going through and yeah, I mean like it exactly especially even the fact that you know

[00:20:58] Most VR games that you can play these days

[00:21:01] You don't even actually you aren't even able to perceive your whole full body

[00:21:05] Most of them even you see, you know, you see the headset you see your hands. You don't even see much more than that and

[00:21:11] You know, but that stuff has come that is gonna eventually come in

[00:21:17] Technology is developing it's fun stuff. Yeah. So yeah, there could be

[00:21:21] Chris you might be able to get one of these

[00:21:25] chrome plated doohickeys for your

[00:21:28] But just don't wear it if it's you know, like Spock's brain or something

[00:21:32] Don't wear it while you're driving either

[00:21:40] It would definitely for good cosplay, yeah for sure. Yeah, they cool

[00:21:45] So because you mentioned Sam, how are we? How do we like the characters and do we have any favorites? I've got a couple. Oh

[00:21:53] Well, there are a lot of characters

[00:21:57] Characters on this it moves around a lot

[00:21:59] But didn't see I don't I forget

[00:22:03] Wade introduced in the first and two separate two episodes the head of the

[00:22:10] Strategic

[00:22:11] As it called the strategic intelligence agency. Oh, yeah

[00:22:17] The Game of Thrones the other game. Yeah, the older guy. Yeah. Yeah, that's my favorite through the entire series

[00:22:23] I like his character. Okay, and then a character you haven't seen yet in it appears

[00:22:28] Well, you see him as the younger man, but he you see him later on

[00:22:33] He's also like a favorite

[00:22:35] Liam is coming here cool Thomas Wade. Yeah, he was in he was in episode two for sure. Okay. Yeah

[00:22:41] Yeah, I like all the physicists

[00:22:44] As I call

[00:22:47] I am a general kids, huh? Well, they're okay. Yeah, they're all like about 30

[00:22:56] 20s about 30. Yes kids. I would you know, but they're physicists. So yeah, well that just shows that

[00:23:03] the you know, you we want to see people who are

[00:23:07] engaged that they've gone through the educational process and then they're in their 30s and they're

[00:23:12] They're very smart individuals and everyone in this is either a smart or a soldier one of the other

[00:23:20] Yeah for me I'm all about

[00:23:22] Jack Rudy the Sam Sam character and

[00:23:26] Benedict Wong's character like I love him. He has like the perfect. Yes. I don't know what it is

[00:23:31] It's just like his voice combined with the British accent and the smoking it just he's like the coolest detective

[00:23:38] He's not really detective. I'm not actually sure technically what he is

[00:23:41] But I love his character because he gives off a detective vibe, but they're like he doesn't work

[00:23:46] But he just kind of gets sucked into the whole thing and I won't say anymore

[00:23:50] I think I think I like and in the in the series it's dashi

[00:23:55] Is his name benedict wong's character?

[00:23:58] um, and I gotta say I like I think Liam Cunningham is

[00:24:03] Awesome is Thomas Wade. Yeah, he's cool. Yep

[00:24:06] That's the guy that's that's how I like him and you'll he's yeah

[00:24:11] and then but but again the other character of jack Rooney our friend from

[00:24:16] Moonfall folks. I'm gonna say do you feel better about him?

[00:24:21] Right, I thought I recognized this. Yeah, that's that's the man with irritable bowel syndrome from moonfall kids

[00:24:29] And he's just yeah, i'm tarly but let's forget that he was in moonfall

[00:24:34] Yeah, I yep. He was in I checked it out kids. He was there. He's our he's our guy that

[00:24:41] I'm gonna go out on a limb here

[00:24:43] Yeah, and i'm gonna say my favorite character

[00:24:46] Is Rosalyn Jail because because I just I just can't say she's not

[00:24:52] Uh, she's she's very important for this story

[00:24:54] She's really good at pretending like she's giving birth to in a very special next-gen episode. So

[00:25:01] Yep, that's a fun one. Have you done this before?

[00:25:06] No

[00:25:08] And wharf in ds9 just immediately is like he wants to be off the station when she's giving birth and I love it

[00:25:14] No, no when it's already here is giving birth

[00:25:17] Yeah

[00:25:18] Folks we're back to star trek again kids. This is harder keiko. I am perfect

[00:25:23] I am perfect

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[00:26:43] Yes, where else do I want to go? What what other thoughts do we have actually?

[00:26:46] That's what I wanted to ask because we said we're talking about their favorite characters

[00:26:50] How are we feeling about how the characters are gelling like are there too many characters or do you think there's just enough characters for the story?

[00:26:59] I kind of feel like

[00:27:01] two episodes in

[00:27:03] I could change my mind, but I feel like i'm able to follow along fairly well so far

[00:27:08] With everybody just two episodes in so I would say

[00:27:12] Yeah, it's interesting. The dynamics are interesting

[00:27:15] The friendships are interesting the enemies

[00:27:18] You know

[00:27:19] Are interesting how they're in, you know

[00:27:22] It's just the show overall so interesting and I find the characters that way too. So

[00:27:28] Yeah, i'm just not

[00:27:30] Processing names completely yet after two episodes. I i'm processing visuals when I see them and and knowing

[00:27:38] What their role in the story is?

[00:27:40] But i'm not I have not yet been able to process all the names

[00:27:45] There's there's a lot and yeah, and and new ones come in and other ones leave and there you go

[00:27:51] Yeah, but I mean i'm following it other than i'm just like I can't tell you the names of it

[00:27:56] Yeah, that's how i'm finding out. That's why

[00:27:59] That's why I printed out

[00:28:02] Yes with a list of care because and I had to write down oh yes, that is

[00:28:07] I don't want to say but anyway, they become a characters later on but like yes, I wrote down thomas way tough guy

[00:28:15] and I wrote down augie

[00:28:17] nanowire girl and

[00:28:20] John bradley jack rooney as jerk

[00:28:24] No, it was a stature

[00:28:26] Wasn't that so?

[00:28:28] That was a really interesting scene for me

[00:28:31] when augie

[00:28:34] Presses the key or whatever for that

[00:28:36] cutting thing the

[00:28:38] nanowire thing to start cutting the diamond

[00:28:41] And she taps it and then she says shut it down right now

[00:28:46] and that's what

[00:28:47] Takes away her countdown like

[00:28:50] The things she was

[00:28:52] poured her life and soul into

[00:28:55] Became less important in light of what she was facing

[00:29:00] Yeah, it was a very fascinating

[00:29:03] Yeah, but I have to say like i'm also the same feeling where it's like I especially with the the good guys

[00:29:08] I feel like we're getting to see enough of them

[00:29:11] And so far like what am I trying to say? Like they seem to gel and I feel like we're getting enough information to understand

[00:29:17] Who they are and what i'm hoping i'll have to see if i'm right about this

[00:29:21] But the feeling I get is like what I call the independent stay

[00:29:26] Story structure where it's like all the all the different good guy characters are all

[00:29:32] Contributing to whatever the solution is going to be

[00:29:35] In that like they're all doing little things. They're all learning things and it's like, okay

[00:29:40] I see how they're going to hopefully connect to whatever the resolution is so I like that and um

[00:29:46] Yeah, you won't be disappointed

[00:29:48] Okay, very good the question, you know back to the the countdown, you know, uh the countdown then she shuts down the research

[00:29:54] Okay, she's being blackmailed

[00:29:56] Whether the reason is a human one or uh, you know an

[00:30:01] extraterrestrial one or whatever the reason is at the end of the day

[00:30:03] She's being blackmailed and I think you never know how a person is going to react in a blackmail situation

[00:30:10] Until they're in the blackmail situation

[00:30:13] You know, and she's got there's a this is like the weirdest unique one because

[00:30:18] She can't prove

[00:30:20] to anybody

[00:30:22] Yes, this is why she didn't tell anyone at her office at the place that she works is because who's going to believe her

[00:30:28] That she's seeing crazy numbers that you know

[00:30:30] It's not like there's an e a blackmail email that she could show somebody or a phone call. Yeah, like there's nothing black

[00:30:36] blackmailed or manipulated

[00:30:39] It's blackmailed. I mean, I guess it's but yeah

[00:30:43] Did they just correct? Well, yeah, I would say blackmail is a form of manipulation

[00:30:48] Mm-hmm, true in general blackmail

[00:30:51] Because whenever there's a countdown you don't know what's going to happen when you get to zero zero zero zero

[00:30:57] And if she understands that if she doesn't shut it down

[00:31:01] She will reach a zero and whatever that might be

[00:31:05] And that might be you know, she might be assassinated

[00:31:09] Who knows? You know, you don't know what's gonna happen. Yeah, but so yeah

[00:31:13] But again even whether you know or not it's still blackmail she's still being forced to do something essentially against her will

[00:31:21] Or there'll be consequences

[00:31:24] Whether or not, you know what those consequences are

[00:31:27] That's a you know a different. Yeah, I guess that's where i'm get hooked up on the on the blackmail

[00:31:32] They're not saying we're gonna spill your whole life. We're gonna you did this and we've got pictures

[00:31:37] No, that's why blackmail that's what I associate with blackmail is right

[00:31:41] I've got this on you and so therefore, you know what I mean? Yeah, no, I know I know what you mean

[00:31:47] I think it's I think this is still technically blackmail as in, you know

[00:31:50] You better do something or we're gonna do something in response. Gotcha. Right? Right

[00:31:57] We have your family hostage you open the bank vault right now or you're that something's gonna happen to them, you know

[00:32:03] Hey, all right. That's a good explanation

[00:32:06] Yeah, yeah, I was gonna say because it seems like it could be a fun addition to our our show

[00:32:10] Is this blackmail or just manipulation?

[00:32:14] Is it blackmail or cake let's see

[00:32:18] Let's do it

[00:32:20] Is it real or is it cake is a netflix show that we yes my five-year-old just got hooked off

[00:32:27] Oh good for him. It is a great show. Yes. We love it. We love it

[00:32:31] Sometimes you can really tell other times you're like, oh, yeah

[00:32:35] I can't see it. All I know is i'm watching it and then all I want to do afterwards is eat some cake

[00:32:42] I want to eat a bag that looks like a bag of hundred dollar bills and then go no

[00:32:47] I have to say though. I've never liked fondant on cake. Ah, it's

[00:32:56] Off to get

[00:32:58] Underneath it that's right, but you can peel it off and eat the cake assuming. It's a good cake

[00:33:02] Yeah, unless of course you just like sugar then

[00:33:05] Go to it kids. Anyway, which I may or may not have done we're really gone on

[00:33:10] This really is a tangent episode kids attention really tangently

[00:33:22] Making a fred flintstone. No, i'm just kidding. Oh, yeah the flintstones. Yeah, so I was watching I started watching this series

[00:33:30] Ten years ago. I I don't know

[00:33:33] I don't know what to do

[00:33:35] Any final thoughts because I feel like there's so many i'm sure there's so many other places that we can go

[00:33:40] um

[00:33:42] I'm just trying to think because like i'm disappointed that we're not talking about the actual three-body problem

[00:33:46] But how much can we get into the three-body problem? Like how much of that is not is in the first two episodes?

[00:33:52] Well, I mean no, I mean like the real actual like have a physics discussion about the three-body problem

[00:33:57] let's do that because

[00:33:59] They keep I don't I know nothing about the book i'm not up on the latest physics

[00:34:04] Okay, but they keep showing what looks like

[00:34:08] Three circles the earth sun and the moon

[00:34:13] Coming into alignment somehow. So

[00:34:16] What's why don't why don't you do that? I will do that

[00:34:22] You just hooked us now reel us in and our resident physicists will tell us

[00:34:26] So when we're talking about you know, three body problems, okay, there's

[00:34:32] when you're

[00:34:33] I guess let me step back when you take like a high school physics class or your first like physics 101 in college

[00:34:39] One of the things that you're gonna do

[00:34:42] In when you start studying like forces and gravity is you'll talk about a two-body problem

[00:34:48] You know, it's boiling down things to kind of like a simple

[00:34:51] way

[00:34:53] And you talk about how two bodies interact with each other and to kind of make it real or make it, you know

[00:34:59] applicable we will often like say the earth and the sun or the

[00:35:03] Earth and the moon as you have it, you know two bodies and it's a two-body problem

[00:35:07] And it's a very deterministic problem and it's fairly easy to solve newton and kepler

[00:35:13] Did it for us, you know bazillion years ago and that's kind of what we learned

[00:35:16] now

[00:35:17] You put a third body

[00:35:20] And make it a three-body problem and you can't really solve it

[00:35:26] Not like you can a two-depth body problem

[00:35:29] Assuming in in the general sense and in the general sense

[00:35:33] We mean like you have three bodies that are sort of equal

[00:35:38] Okay, the reason we can predict things

[00:35:41] Like our eclipses, you know a solar eclipse and things like that. Thank you

[00:35:46] Yep is because you really have

[00:35:49] You know, this is like the earth and moon system and then the sun is so far away

[00:35:54] It really has kind of like a little effect on the two-body system

[00:35:58] And that's how we can do things like have spacecraft go out into like

[00:36:02] Interstellar space and go to the moon and go other places

[00:36:05] So the general three-body problem where you're trying to solve the motion of three bodies kind of acting on each other

[00:36:14] You can't

[00:36:15] Really do it

[00:36:17] Easily so for hundreds of years from when this was like first

[00:36:21] Discovered is like, oh let's think about this

[00:36:24] We didn't have the mathematical tools and then we didn't have computers

[00:36:28] So these days with like computers and stuff you can kind of kind of do it

[00:36:33] Up in for the 100 or 200 years before computers. We would have approximations

[00:36:39] Or restricted problems where we make an assumption about one of those three bodies and it gets all like

[00:36:46] It gets very complicated very quickly

[00:36:48] And I think I feel like i'm doing a terrible job explaining this. No, you've done a wonderful job

[00:36:51] It's really cool stuff

[00:36:53] This is some this is some of I know for me, you know when you study when you go into the field of physics

[00:36:58] To study to study it you cover

[00:37:01] Gravitational stuff you cover electricity and magnetism stuff you cover quantum physics

[00:37:06] And and everything but the gravity stuff was always my favorite part

[00:37:12] Um, you know all this kind of dynamic stuff and it does lead to like planetary motions

[00:37:17] It leads to spacecraft being able to like go places

[00:37:21] Um, so this was always my favorite part. All right, so let's let's i'm sorry. Go ahead chris

[00:37:26] I don't want to say I didn't realize this was like a real thing that was people were actively studying that this is like

[00:37:31] A comment if you go to if you talk to a physicist and you say three body problem

[00:37:35] They're like, oh, I know what you're talking about. Oh, yeah, absolutely 100%

[00:37:38] Yeah, I know that and and so what was really interesting i'm trying to think of is is so the book came out in

[00:37:45] 2006

[00:37:47] And I was trying to think of like i'm curious to know

[00:37:50] like when

[00:37:52] Was the guy actually writing the book?

[00:37:55] You know, he could have been like noodling on this book for 20 years before he actually it actually got published

[00:38:00] and the reason why i'm curious about that, uh is because

[00:38:04] Because

[00:38:05] It's like the 1990s is when we started to really have some computational power to do more interesting things in this area

[00:38:13] it was like up until the 1990s you really like

[00:38:16] You know, you had very old school methods to not quite solve this

[00:38:20] Uh, it was like starting in the 90s is when you actually start

[00:38:22] So i'm curious, you know given the name of the book and and I don't know i'm assuming the name really does translate

[00:38:29] as three body problem from chinese to

[00:38:32] You know like it like has the same meaning of that physics problem, right? Right

[00:38:36] um, yeah, so i'm like really curious as to where the author was in

[00:38:42] Understanding and thinking about it

[00:38:44] Like versus the state of the art, you know

[00:38:46] um computing stuff so

[00:38:49] I don't know

[00:38:50] But again, you know for people to put into perspective the apollo missions going to the moon

[00:38:56] You have the gravitational forces of the earth that you're overcoming

[00:38:58] The

[00:39:00] Gravitational moon the forces of the moon pulling the spacecraft into it

[00:39:07] Yeah, so you're there's a point where you're going from one

[00:39:11] Situation to another situation, but there's not a third situation they have to deal with correct

[00:39:17] Well, well, so it's not it's not really that you do have to take into account

[00:39:21] The we call them perturbations at that point the perturbations of the sun and even the you know, depending on how fine

[00:39:29] Detail you need your like orbit knowledge and orbit predictions to be you even have to take into account things like jupiter

[00:39:36] You know, but then there's also like non gravitational forces

[00:39:41] That you have to think about when we think about the motion of our satellites

[00:39:45] From the sun you get solar wind and that will actually you know push on your spacecraft

[00:39:51] When depending on where you are in earth's orbit

[00:39:54] You might have effects related to the magnetic field that perturb your spacecraft orbit if you're low in earth's

[00:40:02] Orbit like you you still get a little bit of drag from the atmosphere

[00:40:06] So the way you think of it is like kind of like there's the base solution

[00:40:09] The simple solution and then you add these perturbations on it

[00:40:13] To like have your full prediction of your motion or of your trajectory

[00:40:20] Very good. Thank you

[00:40:23] Folks we are having one of our most scientific discussions

[00:40:28] About a fictional science fiction series. Yeah, but but so when they talk about these things and what's good?

[00:40:34] I don't know again

[00:40:35] They they got into it in the book and I only I assume they have to get into it in the series

[00:40:41] They're going to cover some other really deep science concepts like quantum entanglement

[00:40:46] And you know, and so again like my my big stuff was, you know, gravitationally things and optics things

[00:40:52] Um, I did all the quantum courses I had, you know and stuff I had to do but that was definitely not my strong suit

[00:40:57] But I understand the base, you know, I understand the basics

[00:41:00] And everything but like so when you start talking about quantum entanglement

[00:41:04] That's like a that is a very hard concept to people for people to wrap their brains around

[00:41:09] And like I said, i'm assuming knowing the book i'm assuming they're going to have to cover it

[00:41:14] And if they actually explain like they have one liners to explain stuff

[00:41:18] Kind of like what they've done so far

[00:41:21] I think that's like amazing

[00:41:23] You know to really take like hard science fiction

[00:41:27] and make it accessible to non-scientists like that is

[00:41:32] Impressive. Can I ask a question?

[00:41:36] Do you guys think this because star trek we know has inspired a lot of scientists a lot of astronauts

[00:41:44] Um, there's other sci-fi that have done that has done that as well. Do you think this could possibly this book and this show?

[00:41:51] because right now as of

[00:41:54] April 10th, it is the most searched for

[00:41:57] sci-fi in streaming right now

[00:42:00] Do you think this could maybe push a generation or at least a lot of folks into?

[00:42:07] Studying physics in the future saying going into college saying I think I need to this is interesting

[00:42:13] I want to I want to learn more about this. I realize why i'm saying like i'm sad that it's a tv ma

[00:42:19] Although like I said, it depends depends on

[00:42:23] You know every family is different and like I said based on the first two episodes

[00:42:28] I would probably want to let my almost 14 year old watch it like the content that I saw

[00:42:33] Knowing him and how he is

[00:42:35] Uh, you know, but I haven't seen the rest so I don't know if it gets worse or what you know what happens

[00:42:41] But um, so the thing is the fact that i'm on the fence now with two episodes

[00:42:44] I feel like for myself if he was 16 17, I would certainly let him watch this

[00:42:49] Yeah, and I think there's enough interesting stuff. It's uh, it's the cussing. It's I think it's the swearing

[00:42:54] Yeah, it's the nudity

[00:42:56] No, the nudity

[00:42:58] In the second episode, I think yeah where everyone is uh, where they're coming dehydrated

[00:43:04] So honestly that kind of new that the non-sexual nudity I have no problem with my kids

[00:43:11] That again, like I said everyone's getting the rating. Yeah

[00:43:15] For that the language in the violence the blood of so the language for from my own

[00:43:21] Situate, you know like my and again every kid is different

[00:43:24] So I won't what I say for my older kid at his age is not necessarily what I would say for my younger

[00:43:29] Child when he gets to this age but for my current older my current older child the nudity in the second episode

[00:43:35] Uh, that's fine. You know get non-sexual nudity. I know I have no problem with it

[00:43:40] That's just people um the level of the language

[00:43:44] Again given I you know, he's been exposed to that language. I hear his friends cussing and he's not again. He's

[00:43:52] You know, it's his choice how he uses languages

[00:43:54] Yes, and he's at least as far as I can tell behaves at a level that i'm i'm okay

[00:43:59] I mean I cursed like crazy when I was that age though. I you know

[00:44:02] It is so that part doesn't bother me

[00:44:05] My sister is 62 and you should she talks like a sailor. I mean she's

[00:44:09] That's awesome. And I and I usually give her a hard time about it

[00:44:14] I would say this is okay. Go ahead. Well, I was gonna say that the stuff so far

[00:44:18] That only hesitation I would have so far is some of the violence

[00:44:24] Parts, okay. I will just say this

[00:44:28] episode five

[00:44:30] That's your level of violence that you will probably

[00:44:34] Be able to talk about

[00:44:37] Yeah, but again given given some of the other things, you know

[00:44:40] Like there is a lot of you know in video games and everything

[00:44:43] There is a lot of violence like like I said it

[00:44:46] It depends but that child of mine is on the like more mature ish end

[00:44:52] So i'm more, you know comfortable but but we'll see

[00:44:56] Yes, like the the the the throat cutting that stuff is

[00:45:00] Is

[00:45:03] When jack blows it when he gets when he gets yeah, yeah

[00:45:10] That

[00:45:11] The the stuff that's happened in the vr stuff so far in in episode two

[00:45:15] Yeah again that part I have no problem. That was not

[00:45:18] Extreme enough like that. My my child could handle that one. Yeah, it doesn't bother me. Yeah the

[00:45:24] Episode guy with the eyeballs on the writing blood all over the wall

[00:45:28] Yeah, like I said

[00:45:30] That's where i'm that's the that stuff is where iffy ish

[00:45:33] Yeah, yeah, yeah, even the opening sequence when the father is beaten. Oh, yeah, that's brutal

[00:45:39] It's and the makeup there is you know, pretty graphic. Yeah pretty graphic

[00:45:44] But I would i'm I was what I was eating lunch while I was watching I go

[00:45:47] Oh

[00:45:49] Yeah

[00:45:50] Yeah

[00:45:51] but this um

[00:45:53] This show like I said it when he's 16 17

[00:45:57] For this child I would I would at that point. I'm probably like i'm probably done monitoring what he's watching anyway

[00:46:03] I think yeah, it's i'm like almost done monitoring what i'm watching

[00:46:07] The fact that he knows about certain horror shows and i'm like do you you even know about that movie?

[00:46:12] Like, yeah, we were talking about uh the saw films recently

[00:46:16] I'm like, I don't I've I saw the first one. That was enough. That was too much

[00:46:20] Um, I just saw a sequence from that and that was no way

[00:46:24] Yeah, he hasn't seen it but like the fact that he knows about it

[00:46:29] But that's the that's where it's notorious. It's like, you know

[00:46:33] It's like the exorcist. Okay

[00:46:35] When it came out people hadn't seen it already knew about it because it was notorious of the sequences in the film

[00:46:42] That yeah, you know that so you don't even have to

[00:46:46] So he you know, he's smart enough. He's experienced. I want to know who

[00:46:50] Introduced my daughter to taylor freaking swift

[00:46:55] That's what I want to know right now

[00:46:57] america

[00:46:58] I want to know is your daughter a swifty now. She is a hardcore swifty

[00:47:04] And there's no stop in the train and there listen there's

[00:47:08] I'm i'm good with taylor. I think yeah, I think taylor's one of the good ones. So I think so

[00:47:14] That's always in my yeah, I like taylor swift. She's good, but i'm a little bit violent

[00:47:20] But what else you said some things about exes though

[00:47:24] Yeah, but you know again going back to just you know

[00:47:27] Can this show inspire people to want to study or know more about physics? I think it really can again

[00:47:32] I think they did such a good job. I think it really can

[00:47:35] All the cool kids are our physicists in this episode in this series. They're all the new kids

[00:47:41] Yeah, that's not that's a great point steve. Yeah, they're not just nerds. They're not you know what I mean?

[00:47:48] Hey, you know what I mean

[00:47:51] They're not stereotyped as

[00:47:53] You know pocket protector wearing

[00:47:56] You know what? I mean like they're not shelled in cougar. They're not shelled in classes

[00:48:01] They did it. It's great, but they're yeah, okay sheldon cooper and I love the big bang theory

[00:48:08] It's a sitcom sitcom kind of by definition are caricatures of whatever they're portraying

[00:48:13] Exactly exactly that said I love the big bang theory because they are

[00:48:19] Reasonably these are caricatures. These are I knew those people. I might have been one of those people

[00:48:25] Yeah, I I but it's interesting because I felt like it reminds me of when iron man came out

[00:48:30] And I felt like it was going to be one of the first times in the film where we'd seen like someone so brilliant

[00:48:36] As iron as tony stark, but also really friendly super cool

[00:48:40] It's like the same kind of thing where they're out smoking they're drinking

[00:48:44] They're talking like I just don't say normal but they're they're talking like the everyday person

[00:48:49] As like yeah, these guys are like people you'd want to hang out with if you're at a party

[00:48:52] Yeah, you know so it's funny. They're like that

[00:48:54] But they're also physicists showing that hey just because you're a physicist doesn't mean that you're going to be a nerd quote unquote

[00:49:00] Like in the way that we see in tv

[00:49:05] Negative sense of the yeah. Yeah, it's just our cover story, you know

[00:49:09] So people left us alone

[00:49:11] right

[00:49:12] That's good

[00:49:13] I love that any other any other questions chris you want to bring up before we go on another discussion that has nothing to do with this

[00:49:20] What else can we discuss everything to do with the series? Yeah, I love rosalyn. That's all I have to say

[00:49:26] Okay. Yeah, it's cool to see her

[00:49:28] I I love the fact that she's like

[00:49:30] I don't think it's a resurgent because she's been in stuff but it's just nice to see her back on tv

[00:49:34] And I like her character. She is depth. So

[00:49:37] She's very good in this she's a very yeah, she's she's very

[00:49:42] Yeah, I don't want to say anymore

[00:49:45] Yeah, I mean that's too much

[00:49:49] But i'm just like

[00:49:50] Because I know once I get off this i'm going to go watch more

[00:49:53] Yeah, yeah, because that's your last question. Do you want how much do you want to keep watching? Well

[00:49:59] I was just I had to watch it all the way through and I won't say anything more about it

[00:50:04] Did you watch it did you watch it in one sit down or several sit downs it was

[00:50:09] One two three it took three to do it and I could because because they're hour-long episodes

[00:50:14] So, you know, I I could only like yes

[00:50:17] I watched the last two episodes and I watched three the prior time, you know like that

[00:50:21] so yeah, so it took a little bit of getting through it but

[00:50:25] Got through it. So there you go

[00:50:27] I want to watch more for sure chris. I I want to keep

[00:50:31] Going and see it to the end and

[00:50:34] I can't wait to see what happens next. All right, i'm on the edge of my seat

[00:50:38] Yep, don't fall off today for the next six days on the treadmill

[00:50:42] Okay, I should do that but I might do more than that. We'll see we'll see how much I can control myself

[00:50:47] Okay, but

[00:50:49] Yeah, but you know what? Thank you everyone for another great discussion

[00:50:54] Remember stay safe watch some sci-fi and of course join us at trek long island 2

[00:51:00] From may 31st to june 2nd and while you're on the plane

[00:51:04] Maybe watch some three-body problem or watch it right now, but either way have fun and we'll see you next time