Ahem. Hello, wowzers.
It's me, Dennis. And before we start the show, I wanted to invite you to a special, spectacular, super -secret event.
Okay, fine, Reggie.
Maybe it isn't a super -secret anymore, but can I get a drumroll anyway?
Thank you. Ahem. Introducing the Make and wow listening party that's right on saturday february 15th at 7 pm eastern i will be hosting the second ever members only live listening party and this time we'll be listening to the never heard before recorded performance of the make it wow live show in new
york city from last november Isn't that cool?
Yes, Reggie. All of our members will be there.
And we can all chat together as we listen to it.
It'll be like reviewsies, but in real time.
If you want to join the party, grownups, you can sign up to become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers today.
Just visit Tinkercast .com slash membership.
That's Tinkercast .com slash membership.
Every membership helps support our podcasts And Tinkercast's mission to spread wow To families and teachers around the world That's right, Reggie Our members also get birthday cards from Mindy and Guy Quarterly mailings from you, Reggie And so much more Members, we'll see you there on Saturday, February
15th Just go to tinkercast .com slash events To get the sacred password To join my live stream At 7pm eastern That's it Now let's get back to my show I mean our show I mean the show Ahem We wow on the weekend We wow on the weekend We wow on the weekend Cause this is what we do on the weekend Talking
Laughing Me and Reggie Singing, laughing And then we...
Oh, wait, no, I said laughing twice Uh, whatever WeeWow on the weekend WeeWow on the weekend WeeWow on the weekend Cause this is what we do on the weekend Hello and welcome to WeeWow on the weekend I'm your host, Dennis And Reggie is my co -host which I guess also makes him your co -host, I think.
This is the show where we hang out in Mother's Basement on the weekend and chit -chat and play games and listen to episodes of TinkerCast Podcast and do all kinds of other stuff.
I don't know, Reggie, all kinds.
Hmm, well, what do you want to do first?
No, I don't want to do that.
Let's play What's in the Box again.
What do you mean that bit is played out?
Well, I think it's still Funky fresh Let's do it I found a box down here in the basement And now I'm gonna find out what's in the box Okay, you stay here I'm gonna go into the crawl space Reggie, quiet I'm not gonna get stuck again I just gotta duck under this One beam Ow Okay, I'm in I'm just gonna grab
a box here Okay, I got one.
Okay, got a box. Now let's open it and find out what's in it.
Ready? What's in this box?
It's Baby Dennis. Baby Dennis is back, baby.
Baby Dennis, my favorite ventriloquist dummy who looks just like me Nuh uh, Big Dennis looks just like Baby Dennis What were you doing in the box, Baby Dennis?
The giant pigeon put Baby Dennis in here Reggie, how could you?
Oh yeah, I guess I did leave him sitting out Thanks for putting him away But now we need to start the show over Because we have another co -host Yay!
Hello and welcome to Wee Wow on the weekend.
I'm your host, Dennis.
And I'm Baby Dennis.
Reggie, Baby Dennis is not weird and creepy.
Yeah, I'm adorable.
Hey Baby Dennis, what do you want to do on the show today?
Baby Dennis wants to review reviewsies.
Great idea, Baby Dennis.
Reggie, you know what reviewsies are.
Yeah, Reggie, Reviewsies are the comments people write on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or whatever And they give us stars and we print them out and read them out loud That's right, very good, baby Dennis Hee hee Okay, here we go Ahem I'm reading Reviewsies For me and my doosies We got us some doosies So
let's read Reviews Tears All right, let's get the first review -zie here.
This one's from username, uh, uh -oh.
I can't read that. Oh, is it something naughty?
No, it's not naughty.
I just don't know what all these symbols are.
Uh, underscore six circumflex open bracket close bracket circumflex again.
I'm not reading all these symbols.
The title says, questions for Dennis.
The message says, Mr.
Dennis. Ooh, I like being called Mr.
Dennis. Mr. Dennis, I have five questions for you.
Five? Question one, who do you think is Static Man?
And then, um, that's it.
Where are the rest of the questions?
Mr. Dennis! Mr. Dennis!
Yes? Baby Dennis knows who Static Man is Ha ha ha!
Well, that's just a...
Static Man is Mr. Dennis!
Okay, that's alright if you don't know Baby Dennis We're all aware that Static Man is probably someone really strong and really capable and really mysterious and really good at gardening.
Next question. That's it, man.
It's me. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.
Next question. Okay, this one is from username T -T -G -B -B -J -N -K.
The title says chicken.
And the message says chicken, chicken, chicken emoji.
Huh. Well, my response to you is, I don't know.
Baby Dennis, how do we respond?
Pigeon, pigeon Pigeon, pigeon emoji Next pigeon I mean, next reviewzie Alright, this last reviewzie Aww I know, I know My printer ran out of ink, sorry This last one is from username Elrose9 The title says This is for Dennis and his reviews Ah, they're called reviewzies Yes, thank you, baby Dennis,
calm down And the message says I would rate it a 15 out of 10 And then There's a whole bunch of thumbs up emojis Oh, how many?
A lot And gold smiley faces And gold medals, and gold trophies And gold ribbons Hooray, we're rich Thanks, Ella Rose Yes, and thank you, everyone For all your reviews -ies Keep them coming If you leave a comment on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, I just might read it on WeeWow on the weekend.
Five stars or more, please.
Baby Dennis, don't be ridiculous.
Obviously we want five stars or more.
Okay, now should we listen to a Tinkercast podcast?
Yeah, baby Dennis is ready.
Perfect, because next up is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios.
Ahem. Inside Tinkercast Studios.
This is the part where we revisit an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast shows.
Oh boy. And today, we're listening to an episode of Wow in the World from Season 1, Episode 8.
This is Baby Dennis' favorite episode called Let's Flamingo.
Alright, let's get the episode ready here.
Baby Dennis wants to push the button.
No, Big Dennis wants to press the button.
No! Baby Dennis wants to push the button because Baby Dennis is a baby!
Ah, but that's not fair!
Okay, fine. Baby Dennis can push the button.
Hooray! He hee! Press!
Wee Wow will be right back.
Grownups, this message is for you.
That's it. Now back to the show.
Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo I do believe it I do believe it's true You've got to do something about that door, Guy Raz It really blocks the entry to get inside your house Did you just run right through it?
Don't worry, I'm finally a few scratches.
My beautiful door! Well, you ready for a day at the zoo?
Am I ever. I've checked off just about everything on my safety spreadsheet.
Let's see, sunscreen, I got my first aid kit, some bubble wrap, some toilet seat covers.
I got a shovel to dig you out of trouble, Mindy.
Yeah, I'd say we're all set for an accident -free day at the zoo.
Right. So, in that case, I brought along some bright, reflective clothing for you to wear, you know, just in case there are hunters or something.
Hunters? Yeah. Or if we get separated in a crowd of people and I need to find you more easily, you should definitely have these bright clothes on.
Well, normally, I'm not really one for flashy clothing.
You can still wear your wool pants and tweed blazer.
Just put this stuff on top, okay?
Well, okay, but only for safety reasons, Mindy.
What other reasons could I possibly have?
Here, put these on first.
Hot pink leggings? Okay.
Yep, just squeeze them on right over your wool trousers.
Looking great. This seems a little weird.
Just remember, we're doing this for safety.
Right. Oh, that's...
Now just climb into this hot pink unitard.
Easy does it. Got it!
Okay, hold it right there.
What is this all about?
Okay, remember how you once said that you would do anything for science?
Yeah, pretty much anything, I guess.
Well, would you go into a dark cave filled with bats?
Sure. Would you spend a year living with a pack of wild wolves?
Sure, especially if they listen to Prokofiev.
Well, I am asking you now.
If you believe in science...
Okay. I need you to dress up like a pink flamingo.
Ah, now I get it. Okay, but I am absolutely drawing the line at the beak.
Oh, no worries. I can just paint your nose to look like one.
Okay, if you're sure this is going to help science.
Now, come here. We've got to squeeze you into this pink leotard.
Oh, yeah! Oh, boy! Oh, yeah.
That's the stuff. All of this pink spandex is starting to feel a little tight.
It's just doing its job, Guy Raz.
Now, for the final touch, I just need to glue all of these to you, so stay really, really still, okay?
Pink feathers? Remember, this is for science.
Uh, I... Okay, now hand me that crazy glue and turn around.
I gotta get the back.
Are you sure about this, Mindy?
Do I not look like I know what I'm doing?
Hey, hey, hey, what are you going to wear?
Oh, I'm just going to wear a sensible, tailored pantsuit.
To the zoo? Yeah, people already think I'm ridiculous, so this is going to show them my serious side.
I have no idea what's going on anymore.
Okay, let me just glue one last little feather to your forehead, and we are done.
Guy Raz, the look is complete, and you are one fabulous flamingo.
Ooh. OK, now grab your safety sack.
It is time to go to the zoo.
We got to hurry, though, because there's something I want to investigate once we get there.
Investigate? Come on, let's go!
My carrier pigeon is waiting outside, and he charges by the minute.
OK, saddle up, and get ready for takeoff.
Because here we go!
Mindy, your carrier pigeon moves fast.
I still can't believe you trained him to carry you everywhere you want to go.
I can't believe we made it to the zoo in one piece.
Mindy, are you sure that all this pink -feathered spandex was a good idea?
I feel like everyone's staring at me weird.
Oh, well, if that's what you're worried about, then I know a place where you will fit right in.
Oh, no. Come on, let's go!
Woof, okay. Okay, here we are.
The flamingo pen? Really, Mindy?
Now, with your beak held high, I want you to march right on into the middle of that block, and I want you to start to flamingle, okay?
Why is everyone taking my picture?
Okay, Guy Raz, look at me.
Look at me. You are the most beautiful and unique flamingo in the flock There is literally no other flamingo like you So own it, okay?
Okay Now, just follow my directions First, squat down like you're going to sit on an invisible chair Like a toilet or something Uh, like this?
Now, with your back straight, use your hips as a hinge And push your butt backward This feels weird Great, that means you're doing it right.
Now, stay steady. Don't lean forward.
Your knees and ankles should be at a 90 degree angle.
Okay. Yeah, you're doing great.
Now try it with just one leg and close your eyes and try to fall asleep, okay?
Mindy, I'm not sure what the point of all this is.
Easy does it. Now, without losing your balance, switch over to the other leg.
I am not understanding the science here.
Oh, well, for that, I have a really good explanation.
Okay, this better be good.
Okay, Roz, remember how I told you that I wanted to come to the zoo today to conduct sort of an investigative science experiment?
So there is a scientific reason why I'm standing here in a flock of flamingos dressed in pink feathers?
Of course there is!
Sort of. This better be good.
Okay, so yesterday I read this crazy study led by two scientists in Georgia.
Leena Ting, a biomedical engineer at Emory University, and Yanghui Cheng, a neuromachinist at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
So I know that a biomedical engineer is a scientist that helps doctors invent new devices and tools to help them do their jobs better, but I'm not as familiar with neuromachinists.
It sounds like maybe someone who works with machines and the brain?
Well, yeah, sort of.
So the way I understand it is a neuromachinist is a scientist who works with prosthetics, meaning like artificial arms and legs, for people who have either lost them or were born without them.
Wow, so how did their study lead me to standing here in the middle of a zoo in a homemade flamingo suit?
Well, it didn't really.
Technically, I led you here.
But what these scientists noticed was that flamingos can stand for a really, really long time on one leg.
so long that they even sleep while standing on one leg.
Yeah, but don't lots of birds stand on one leg?
Yeah, they do, but flamingos make it look effortless.
I mean, they can stand on one leg for hours at a time, whereas most birds have to shift from one leg to the other after a while or just give up altogether and use both legs.
I'll say I am definitely not cut out for flamingo life.
This one -leg thing is a workout.
Well, that's the thing.
So when we humans and even other birds stand on one leg, it takes a lot of muscle strength to hold us up and help us keep our balance.
But with flamingos?
These scientists discovered that they used almost no force at all.
The baby flamingos just slept there on one leg like nobody's business.
Wow, so how did they discover this?
So the first thing they did was go to the zoo just like us.
Were they dressed as flamingos?
What? No, that would be ridiculous.
they're respected scientists, Guy Ross.
So they went to the zoo, and with the help of the zookeepers, they got eight baby flamingos, and they put them on this measuring device called a force plate.
And what's it look like?
Well, a force plate is like a little flat square that looks sort of like a tiny dance floor, and it's used to measure things like balance and whatever's standing on it.
And I guess in this case, baby flamingos.
Right. And so they fed the babies, put them on the force plate, and then they waited for them to get sleepy.
This is starting to sound really cute.
Oh, you have no idea, Gyros.
Anywho, once the baby flamingos started to fall asleep, they used the force plate to measure how much force they were using to keep their balance as they slept there on one leg.
And what did they discover?
They discovered that they used almost no force at all.
The baby flamingos just slept there on one leg like nobody's business.
So how is this possible?
I mean, when I stood here on one leg and closed my eyes, I almost fell into that pond over there.
That's because when we humans start to lose our balance, our brains freak out and start shouting things like, Mayday!
Mayday! to our muscles so that they tighten up and start doing their jobs.
But don't flamingos have the same signals running between their brains and their muscles?
Very little. They don't even need it because their bodies are just designed to balance on one leg like that.
Wow, so how did they find this out?
Okay, so this part is a little gross.
Gross? These scientists used flamingo cadavers.
Oh. Dead flamingos.
Who, I guess, donated their bodies to science?
I mean, I guess you could say that.
The reason they used cadavers is because they don't have any muscles at all.
Because, you know, cadavers are...
Thanks, I got it. They're dead.
So they took the cadavers and they set them up on one leg with nothing else to hold them up.
And guess what happened?
They keeled over and died all over again?
Nope. They stood there steady, completely upright, never flopped.
Wow. And so then they decided to press their luck.
In an effort to throw the flamingo cadavers off balance, they tilted the upper part of their bodies forward and backward, and no matter what they did, those cadavers just stood there majestically.
And what's even crazier is that because of that hinge in the flamingo's hips, the scientists were able to move their legs so easily that they were still able to stand upright in a way that required almost no energy or muscle strength.
Amazing! So in living flamingos, if they have to jump out of the mud and run from a predator or an animal that's trying to eat it, or even just stay steady on a windy day, they can easily switch their legs and stay upright without really having to activate any of their muscles.
That's incredible, Mindy.
I know, right? You know, earlier you mentioned that Dr.
Ting works with prosthetics or artificial arms and legs.
So did her discovery lead to any helpful connections between the two?
Yes, so Dr. Ting studies how people can start to move again after they've been hurt really bad or lose an arm or a leg in an accident.
And sometimes this requires the help of prosthetics.
So the idea here is that if flamingos can go back and forth standing on one leg with almost no energy, then maybe this discovery will lead to improvements in robotics or robot -powered prosthetics for humans or just people like you who really want to be flamingos.
Mindy, I did this for science Guy Raz you did this for the crowd of people taking pictures of you Yeah Come on you're a fancy flamingo Oh no Now give the people what they want Step right up, step right up And come and get your souvenir photos of the human flamingo boy Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa Ted,
I'm coming in to save you little buddy Look at my beautiful feathers, they're ruined You're a good guy, Roz, but a terrible bird.
Come on, let's get you out of this pink spandex and flamingo.
Yeah, adios flamingos.
Yay! Yay! Reggie, baby Dennis heard you on the podcast.
You're so cool and famous.
Hey, Reggie, how long can you stand on one leg?
What? That's all. Flamingos can do it for hours.
Baby Dennis, how about you?
How long can you stand on one leg?
Um, how long can Big Dennis hold up his arms?
Oh, right. You're a ventriloquist, dummy.
Your legs are just little floppy plastic things.
Your legs are little floppy plastic things.
No, they're not. Watch.
I can stand on one leg.
Okay, here I go. One, two, three.
Ow my rumpus Stop laughing Is Big Dennis okay?
Yes and Big Dennis wants to wrap up the show Let's do the goodbye song Good idea That's the end of the show Standing on one leg is surprisingly hard But I'll do another show tomorrow tomorrow.
But for now, that's the end of the show.
Bye. Say goodbye, baby Dennis.
Goodbye, baby Dennis.
Oh, you. Grownups, if you like Wow!
in the world, you can listen early and ad -free right now on Wondery+.
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