The podcast discusses interesting topics including Goya's House and his Black Paintings, the use of fax machines in history, the historical use of urine in wire-making, unusual eggs, and the fascinating characteristics of dragonflies.
Goya's house, named the House of the Death Man, featured his famous painting 'Saturn Devouring His Son' and other dark artworks.
Before cyber attacks, faxes were used for pranks involving sending black paper to cause ink depletion or machine overheating.
The invention of barbed wire in 1873 caused controversy among cowboys, small ranchers, and Native Americans, affecting job opportunities and disrupting buffalo roaming patterns.
Deep dives
Goya's House of the Death Man
Goya, the famous artist, lived in a house called the House of the Death Man, which was actually named after a different deaf man who once lived there. The house was a retreat for Goya and featured his famous painting 'Saturn Devouring His Son' as well as other dark and mysterious artworks.
Facts Attacks
Before cyber attacks, there were facts attacks. Pranks involving the sending of black paper through faxes, causing the receiving machine to run out of ink or even overheat. These attacks were done to companies or governments as a form of revenge or annoyance.
Controversy Surrounding Barbed Wire
When barbed wire was invented in 1873, it caused controversy among cowboys, small ranchers, and Native Americans. Cowboys felt threatened by the rise of fences, as it meant fewer job opportunities for them. Small ranchers often found themselves locked out of their own land due to the placement of barbed wire fences. Native Americans also suffered as barbed wire disrupted the roaming patterns of buffaloes, which were vital to their livelihood.
Dragonfly wings with tiny knives
Dragonfly wings are equipped with tiny knives that physically rip bacteria apart. The wings have nano pillars, which are 100,000th of the width of a human hair, that rip apart bacteria that land on them. These nano pillars reduce friction and destroy almost all bacteria. Scientists have successfully created a plastic version of these nano pillars to mimic dragonfly wings.
Making wire with urine
For 200 years, humans used urine to make wire by soaking steel in it. The practice originated in Old Taina, Germany in 1650, when someone accidentally urinated on the steel while trying to find a solution to reduce friction when pulling the steel rod through a funnel to make wire. They discovered that urine worked just as well as grease or oil. People in the wire-making factory, including their wives and children, donated urine for this purpose for 200 years until it was realized that water works just as effectively.
